tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82030745633012429352015-09-17T04:41:35.779-04:00Tiger TimesThis is my attempt to take off my orange colored glasses and let the world know what I really think about Clemson Athletics, ACC Football and other non-sense that comes to mind.CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-85836337478812675622012-10-12T12:49:00.004-04:002012-10-12T12:50:55.102-04:00Paging Mr. Watkins<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} table.MsoTableGrid {mso-style-name:"Table Grid"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; border:solid black; mso-border-themecolor:text1; border:1.0pt; mso-border-alt:solid black; mso-border-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:.5pt; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-border-insideh:.5pt solid black; mso-border-insideh-themecolor:text1; mso-border-insidev:.5pt solid black; mso-border-insidev-themecolor:text1; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-insideh-themecolor: text1; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid black; mso-border-insidev-themecolor: text1; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 191;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Receptions</div></td> <td style="border-left: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Yards</div></td> <td style="border-left: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Average</div></td> <td style="border-left: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Long</div></td> <td style="border-left: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Touchdowns</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">16</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">118</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">7.4</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">19</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">0</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">49</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">777</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">15.9</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.55pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">60</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.6pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">8</div></td> </tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="MsoNormal">(<a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/stats/_/id/228/clemson-tigers">credit ESPN</a>)</div><div class="MsoNormal">Lets go back to August 30, 2012, the evening before the Auburn game. At that point the banter and conjecturing was still in full swing. If we had played a name that stat line using the Clemson receivers whose name would you put by the above stats? If it had been me, I would have put Sammy Watkins with the 49 receptions and Martavis Bryant with the 16.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">With the two game suspension that would have meant that Watkins would be averaging 12 catches a game and 194 yards per contests. &nbsp;The Sammy for Heisman campaign would be in full effect!!!</div><div class="MsoNormal">The above stat line represents the accomplishments of Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins through six games for the Clemson Tigers. How many people had Sammy Watkins having only 16 catches and no receiving touchdowns through 4 games after sitting out the first two games?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Many Clemson people will call it a sophomore jinx. That stems from the plethora of Tiger freshmen that have come out like gangbusters only to fall off the face of the earth during their second year. Having spent time around the program during the previous administration, a lot of that had to do with the time and effort put in by the student-athlete than a jinx of some sort.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Call me ignorant or Pollyanna if you must but I honestly believe there is something different about Sammy Watkins. I sincerely believe he did above and beyond what he expected of himself in preparation for the 2012 season. Sammy’s lack of production can be attributed to several factors that need to be discussed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Many overestimated the impact of missing the first two games, myself included. You can practice all you want, but game speed is a different beast. I know Coach Swinney said he only spent one week with the scout team but still it is not the same. When Watkins did return he only played one half against Furman. The following week against Florida State, it is hard to expect someone who has played one half of football to do Sammy-like things against one of the best defenses in the country. The following week, he comes down with a virus and is unable to make the trip to Boston College. Last week against Georgia Tech it is hard to expect someone who was as sick as he was be a large factor.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">You also have to acknowledge that defensive coordinators are scheming for Sammy. Did you see the Georgia Tech defense last week? Wherever Sammy was the whole Yellow Jacket defense was sure to follow. I think you will continue to see this throughout the season. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The key is getting Sammy back into a rhythm, he has not played two consecutive games where he has played four quarters of football all season. He has to integrate himself into this offense that in 2012 is being led by DeAndre Hopkins and Tajh Boyd. There is certainly a place for Hopkins in this offense and his big play potential will be needed in the second half. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I expect to see Watkins come on during the second half as he plays more football on consecutive weeks. I am eager to see if the staff is able to implement some of the things they learned from visiting Oklahoma State during the offseason in how to isolate Watkins or Hopkins in one-on-one situations. He is too good of an athlete to not get it going at some point. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Don’t give up on Sammy yet. He will come up big for this team before the season concludes.</div><!--EndFragment-->CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-43165115836105667102012-10-11T11:11:00.002-04:002012-10-12T12:58:23.241-04:00Midseason Musings<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">Through six games Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney has led the 2012 edition of the Clemson Tigers to a 5-1 record. It has not been without some harrowing moments but this team‘s only loss came on the road in Tallahassee (a place Clemson has only won once since 1989). Given the glaring weaknesses, you have to give Swinney and his staff credit for what they have done through six games. <br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">First things first, when is the last time we saw a Clemson defense as generous as the one we have seen during the first half of the season? Even in the 90s when this program struggled to win seven games, we could hang our hat on playing hardnosed defense while hoping to score 20 points to give us a chance. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Fast forward to today and we have seen team after team have there way with this defense, especially on the ground. While Auburn ultimately gained 180 yards rushing, you felt watching the game in person or at home that it was more like 380. First year Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables inherited an inexperienced and talent deficient bunch that is a clear work in progress. The Dandy Dozen class in 2009 and some misses on some top flight defensive talent is rearing its ugly head this fall.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Despite ranking 96<sup>th</sup> in total defense and yielding a&nbsp;paltry&nbsp;445 yards per contest this team is 5-1. What this team has accomplished in the first six games cannot be overlooked. I know Auburn is a dumpster fire of epic proportions but for this team to come out the way it did in Atlanta against a SEC opponent was big for the confidence of this team. Running back Andre Ellington continues to be a steady force in the run game. The young offensive line has held up better than most would have expected. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">How is this team 5-1 with such a poor defense? Outside of the Florida State the defense has come up with timely plays that have made differences in late stages of games. This team exercised some demons in Atlanta, Boston and was able to get by Georgia Tech who always seems to have the Tigers’ number. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The two biggest stories of the first half of the season have been Tajh Boyd’s legs and the emergence of DeAndre Hopkins. Going into the season we knew that Freshman All-American receiver Sammy Watkins would miss the first two games of the season as part of his punishment from an offseason arrest. DeAndre opened 2012 with a record setting 13 catch performance in Atlanta and has continued to rewrite the Clemson record book breaking the receiving yards game record at Boston College. <br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Raise your hand if you thought Sammy Watkins would have 16 catches for fewer than 120 yards and no receiving touchdowns through six contests? How many would think that the Clemson would rank 10<sup>th</sup> in the nation in total offense churning up 546 yards a game? Yeah me neither. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">DeAndre Hopkins is having an All-American type season but Tajh Boyd is the story behind Clemson’s 5-1 start to the season. 2012 has showcased a leaner and more mobile Boyd. His decision making and ability to escape pressure coupled with his willingness to run the football has been a potent weapon through six games. Boyd has come up with huge runs, some called others adlibbing against Auburn, Boston College and most recently against Georgia Tech. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is difficult for defenses to account for a quarterback who is able to wiggle his way out of trouble and willing to get a tough yard. It is the missing component this offense was missing last year. There have been countless drives that have been sustained this fall because of Boyd’s ability and willingness to run. He is the second leading rusher on the team and his running will be key as we head into the second half. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I would be remiss if I did not mention kicker Chandler Catanzaro and his 16 consecutive made field goals dating back to last season. He has emerged into the kicker Coach Swinney said he would after he struggled two years ago. His play has been a pleasant surprise. Overall special teams have been good this year outside of the 90-yard kickoff return against Florida State.</div><div class="MsoNormal">During the second half it is important that Clemson continues to find a way to get Sammy Watkins back into the fold on offense. He has played just 2.5 games and there is no way he could have been 100% last Saturday coming off a virus that kept him out of the Boston College game. I would like to see Tajh Boyd continue to be a willing runner. Andre Ellington needs to be more involved in the run game and passing game. Charone Peake and Martavis Bryant need begin to emerge as they head towards their junior seasons. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The defense is making baby steps but the key as we head into the 2<sup>nd</sup> half is seeing this defense make timely plays that allow the offense to capitalize on momentum shifts. Individuals like Mike linebacker Spencer Shuey who made a huge play against Georgia Tech on the safety need to continue to make plays. DeShawn Williams seems to be asserting himself along the defensive line. Somebody needs to step up in the secondary, can Garry Peters repeat his effort against Boston College?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The kicking game needs to improve or maintain. Clemson has to continue to extend its home winning streak. Fans need to show up ready to go regardless of what time we play. Clemson will only play two games away from Death Valley in the final six. There is reason to be excited about Clemson football but at the same time this team will continue to provide many “Maalox Moments” before we write the final story on the 2012 season.</div><!--EndFragment-->CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-79373038415778428542012-09-06T08:01:00.001-04:002012-09-06T08:01:45.150-04:00Looking skyward…..<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>874</o:Words> <o:Characters>4987</o:Characters> <o:Company>US Senate</o:Company> <o:Lines>41</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>9</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>6124</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">When you are a high school senior there is a unique level of arrogance and innocence when combined accurately depicts this special yet awkward stage of development. Swag, is the modern term used by young people and succinctly depicts the senior year experience for most.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">You are the kings and queens of the school, nobody can tell you anything because you are a senior. You are grown, life is at your fingertips and nothing seems impossible. It is time for you and your classmates time to shine as individuals while preparing for the next steps in life. What happens when that gets all thrown out the window? What happens when innocence and swagger is seemingly ripped from underneath your feet and you are faced with reconciling Charles Swindoll’s famous quote, “that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This became a harsh reality for a group of seniors and for an entire school community on September 6, 1997. 15 years later there are only a handful of memories that are more vivid than the moment I was told by mother that we had lost “Coach”. For me it was one of those moments where you remember where you were, what you were doing, who you were with like it was yesterday.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I was out in the front yard throwing the football with my friend Buseman who had graduated from the same high school three months prior. He had joined my family for a day trip to Clemson as college football was getting underway. The Tigers had gotten off to an inauspicious start with a less than spectacular victory over Furman, when I got the news.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Anyone who knows me, knows I wear my emotions on my sleeves good, bad or ugly. Especially at that point in my life, react first, ask questions later was my M.O. I had just caught a pass from Buseman when my mom came out of the garage door with a distraught look, “we lost coach.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The flood of emotions caused me to turn around and punt the football I was throwing with my friend into the street. I was paralyzed. What did she mean? I had just been with Coach the night before. Now talk about an inauspicious beginning, the mighty Riverwood Raiders had kicked off the 1997 season with a 42-6 defeat at the hands of Creekside. Not how you would draw it up from a storybook perspective but one of those things where you move on, learn from your mistakes and do better next time. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, do better next time was out the door. Bill Hoskyn, a retired Secret Service Agent, turned beloved Social Studies teacher and football coach had suffered a heart attack on the tennis court and died. That reality will snatch the swag out of your sails in a hurry. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">After several frantic phone calls, teammates parents, former teammates all started gathering together to try to reconcile a new reality that none of us were prepared to deal with. It was not fair. Why did this have to happen? Did our play from the previous night have anything to do with it? What are we going to do now?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Why was a man who stood for all the right things, did things the right way, who loved his family and everyone he came in contact with get snatched up in such an abrupt fashion? That question still sticks in my craw today. That is something that I will be sure to ask God when I am reunited with Him and I see Coach on the other side. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Coach Hoskyn was cut from a different cloth, he was one of those coaches who would never swear at you. If you ever elicited a “frickin’” or “friggin’” from him, you knew it was time to step up your game. The thing that set coach apart from pack was his expectations. They were very simple. All he ever expected was your best. Regardless of if it was in the classroom, football field, how you conducted yourself at school, or in life all he expected was a person’s best. A simple yet overwhelming standard when you thought about it but it explains his gentleman, warm-hearted nature that everyone gravitated to, regardless of your status as a student or athlete. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">His expectation of best was personal and he had an innate way of celebrating an individual’s best in a way that leaves me in awe today. He had the ability to be excited for a student who busted their hump for a C as the person who studied hard for an A. Yes vastly different marks but he understood what best really meant in an authentic way.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Someone’s best does not always mean rushing for 230 yards in a game or being named valedictorian of his or her class. For Coach it meant giving maximum effort, with maximum integrity and class in everything you do. Coach set out a simple yet high standard to live up to.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In the days following Coach Hoskyn’s passing, there were candle light vigils, church services, time spent hanging out, memorial services, a return to the practice field, tears shed, and attempts to reconcile why. A lot of firsts took place that week. The journey to create a new normal in the midst of a tragedy, while still embracing and exuding the swagger of being a high school senior.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It would take till the final game of the 1997 season for us to find a moniker of closure. It came down to that final day, when 20-plus seniors would put on the all blue RHS uniform one last time, a day filled with emotion as the stadium was dedicated in Coach’s honor, and one last opportunity for us to deliver him our best. I had sat and watch the previous three classes of seniors go out and him saying no matter what you do in life, you will remember your last game. I hope that is what he remembers not the 42-6 drubbing we took with our last game with him. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is true. I remember that night as vividly as any other. It is a memory that provides peace 15 years later during one of the most unsettling experiences a person and a community can face. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I want to thank Coach for loving me, for having confidence in me, for expecting more of me than I expected of myself and demonstrating what it means to be a man. So today, when I look to heavens I will give two beats on my chest and point skyward, just as I did less than a week later as we took the field minus one but forever changed. May you continue to Rest In Peace Coach.&nbsp;</div><!--EndFragment-->CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-49286723105121781822012-06-20T07:36:00.001-04:002012-06-20T08:56:32.901-04:00Running out the clock....<br /><div class="MsoNormal">Over the last three weeks I am confident I figured out what it would feel like to be a yo-yo. Rapidly oscillating while going back and forth, do we stay or should we go? While going had always been the original plan, circumstances late in the game arose where an audible would and could have been the right thing. When the dust cleared, we came to our senses and it was clear that the clock was racing towards the infamous triple zeros with no option for overtime.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Now I sit here in a quiet house, a house that has served as a second home for me for the last 386 months but there is a city and a metropolitan area within miles of this home that I have called home for the last 60 months that has been an integral part of my development into the person I am today. We are all faced with those fork in the road experiences. It came for me five years ago with an opportunity to leave the place I called home for 18 years for a place I thought I knew but had no idea about.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It really was not that hard of a decision to pack up my Honda Accord with my “life” and head north for new adventures. I fondly remember driving up to Greenville in an effort to “break up the trip” where I spent the night with my former college roommate, talking about my new beginning and yet reminiscing about days gone by and how crazy it was that something I had talked about was finally coming true.</div><div class="MsoNormal">In late May of 2007 I remember seeing the Capitol and saying that is where I work. It gave me chill bumps and made me smirk like a kid with his hand caught in the candy jar. I really didn’t work in the Capitol but it became the backdrop for many important events.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For those who have never had the opportunity to walk through the halls of the Senate office buildings you are missing a treat. The majestic marble building that is the Richard B. Russell Senate Office building is one of those places that should be on a Top 10 must see list when you come to DC. Your every step echoes loudly down its long, open, corridors. Each office has an American flag and their respective state flag guarding the main entrance.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">SR-120 became my new home. Across the hall from us were two fellow Republican offices occupied by New Hampshire and Nevada. It would be known as “Freedom Hall”. Without verification, our hall had to be one of the few places in the Senate let alone Congress where an entire hall was occupied by Republican offices. When I arrived the Democrats had taken over the Senate so Republicans who had been around, were still getting used to life in the minority.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Across the hall I would meet one of my best friends a guy could ever find, especially in a city and place that is known for being so superficial. In 2007 the only things I knew about New Hampshire was where it was on the map, Concord was the capital and Dartmouth was somewhere there since my grandfather had gone to school there. Over the next year and a half I would grow a fondness and disappointment for the Granite State of which I could have never imagined.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There are so many experiences to recall. I guess you have to begin with the people watching. There is something cool about seeing Ted Kennedy, a down trodden John Kerry (post presidential run), Hillary Clinton, Trent Lott, Robert Byrd, Ted Stevens. Yes there was the rare Barack Obama sighting but he was more focused on seeking out other career opportunities.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Some of the legislative highlights or lowlights depending on your point of view included a Farm Bill reauthorization. Let me pause, there are things that obviously will be studied and torn apart by historians during the 110<sup>th</sup> and 111<sup>th</sup> Congresses but let me tell you my legislative highlight was seeing a Farm Bill go from the fact finding change this, don’t change that stage to committee mark-up to floor action, to conference committee and finally to final vote was a ride that gave me my seminal Hill Experience.&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white;">A close second is budget vote-a-rama. Again, if you do not know about it, look it up, it is an integral part in laying the budget framework for our nation on an annual basis.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">The experts will talk about the troop surge, you will have to ask me about the immigration firefight I walked into Day 1. The know it alls will concentrate of Stimulus I, 9/11 Commisson, Minimum Wage, Children’s Healthcare, the financial collapse, Auto Bailout, the Bailout, Stimulus II, and Healthcare to name a few.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Farm Bill served as my <u>Schoolhouse Rock</u> “Just a Bill on Capitol Hill” experience.&nbsp; I came away from the experience having a deep appreciation for farmers. Do not let the blue collar nature of their work fool you. The required knowledge of the science of agriculture, combined with their required business acumen is unmatched in other fields.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I went through a Presidential campaign in the Nation’s Capital. I watched with heartbreak as good people lost jobs in the 2008 election wave, I was downtown election night when the first Black President was elected, I sat in intense briefings on what was happening to our financial markets and the consternation facing elected officials as “too big to fail” became apart of everyday speech. I saw a lot to say the least.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There is so much more that I experienced outside the halls of Congress that I will take with me, my D.C. experience was capped off by meeting a young woman from Pennsylvania by way of different stops during her life. This captivating young woman who was smart, passionate, understanding, loving, and my rock would later become my wife on July 11, 2009. She too has written a story of adventure during her time here that has shaped her and led her to who she is today. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The energy in this city leading up to the 2009 inauguration, seeing the first baseball game in Nationals Park, the continued disappointment that is known as the Redskins, two college football games in two days, getting engaged on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the loss of my grandmother, living across the street from my brother, playing softball on the mall with the Washington Monument as my backdrop, times with friends, 4<sup>th</sup> of July Fireworks, attending a church that gave new life to what it meant to be a Christ follower, I could go on and on but I won’t.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">While it is time to start a new adventure. I am thankful for my parents who gave me this once in a lifetime opportunity to come here and do life. I thankful for the friends and experiences I have had.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I know there are people out there who would love to see things change here in the District, they would love to see this place “function”. I will part with this…the very dysfunction that characterizes this great city and region is at the heart of what makes it function. Don’t ever change D.C.!! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The clock now stands at 0:00. I head back south now with a wife, dog, a full moving truck and a book full of memories. It is time to ride down 85 to write a new story of adventure.</div>CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-52064694371629841932012-03-05T19:54:00.000-05:002012-03-05T19:54:44.411-05:00Oliver Who?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">Yeah I am going to say it since no one else will. The Clemson basketball team closed out the regular season with a 8-8 conference record with the loss at Florida State earlier today. While the game was something like a scene from the nineties movie “Groundhog Day” where actor Bill Murray keeps waking up in the same day, the Hardwood Tigers dug themselves an early hole only to embark on a furious comeback only to come up short. Making a game that seemingly was out of hang look respectable in the final box score. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This team with five freshmen somehow, someway, managed to finish .500 in conference when early on I was resigned with the reality that this team could battle Boston College for the cellar of the conference. With a few less lulls and a true go to scorer, this team wins ten or eleven games in ACC play. I know almost doesn’t count but this team for the better part of conference play was competitive on a game to game basis. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I give Coach Brownell a lot of credit for not losing this team and having them prepared on most nights. The absence of a go to guy in crunch time was a glaring weakness on this team, you couple that with the youth playing meaningful minutes you are going to suffer those head scratching nights where you wonder if the guys on the floor had previous basketball experience. They also had moments that gave Tiger fans hope of things to come. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We are not in a position to where Clemson can go out and sign a Sammy Watkins type impact player so player development is key to long term success at Clemson and I truly believe that Coach Brownell is truly the man for the job. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Fan fan favorite Catalin Baciu had been left for dead under the previous staff.&nbsp; Two years under Brownell, the young man from Romania began to develop post skills and a defensive prowess. Going back to last year Jerai Grant made significant strides to the point that he was a significant force during the stretch run last season. In both cases you were left feeling if they only had one more year they could be special. I feel strongly about “Bobo” as many felt about Grant last year.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I give former coach Oliver Purnell credit for his talent evaluation but his ability to mesh talent with the up and down pressing scheme he employed could certainly be called into question. His overall player development left something to be desired. I know many will point to Trevor Booker who has had his moment in the NBA for the Wizards but I always felt like the previous staff was more interested in athletes who play basketball than basketball players who are athletes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The freshman on this current team have a higher basketball IQ thank previous teams and I sincerely believe we will witness that play our over the course of the next three years. We will see these young men develop into good to exceptional players who will get back Clemson back to competing for a bye on an annual basis.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There were many tense moments, face-palming plays but there is reason to be encouraged about this basketball program as we move into post-season play.&nbsp;</div><!--EndFragment-->CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-78435915274620982562012-02-28T15:35:00.002-05:002012-02-28T15:40:16.025-05:00Oh the ACC….<div class="MsoNormal">While we are on the schedule issue, I heard an interview with Clemson Associate Athletic Director Kyle Young where he discussed the 2012 schedule and the future of current out of conference matchups.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As was mentioned yesterday the delay in the 2012 football schedule announcement was due to West Virginia dropping Florida State and Georgia Tech rearranging their schedule to accommodate the Labor Day matchup with Virginia Tech. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There are several important takeaways from the interview, first is that the ACC allows member institutions to schedule their own non-conference schedule prior to making the conference schedule. This is important from the perspective that Clemson has the ability and has had the ability to schedule a Football Championship Subdivision opponent the week before the South Carolina game.&nbsp; Young stated in the interview that efforts were made to adjust the 2012 schedule to reflect what has become a perceived advantage for South Carolina but Clemson was unable to make any changes to the 2012 docket.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">That said, Young announced that Clemson will take on The Citadel at Clemson the week before traveling to Columbia in 2013. I have to give the folks at Jervey credit for trying but why did it take the Southeastern Conference taking action before the Atlantic Coast Conference? That question is probably best left unanswered. In the ACC's defense the SEC takes a more rigid approach to scheduling which does not allow for much flexibility.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another big issue going moving forward is the status of future non-conference games, primarily with Georgia, who is scheduled to come to Clemson in 2013 and the Tigers traveling to Athens in 2014. The challenge with keeping the Georgia game on the schedule was the <a href="http://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-tech/acc-football-expands-to-1330542.html">announcement</a> that the ACC once Pittsburgh and Syracuse are added will move to a nine game conference football schedule. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Big East has a 27-month waiting period to exit but after the departure of West Virginia to the Big 12 and the addition of new member schools to the Big East, it is assumed by many that Pittsburgh and Syracuse will join the ACC in 2013. The nine game conference ledger does not make for good fiscal policy given the five and four rotation on home games. The new model does not incentivize high profile home and home matchups given the fact that a school could end up with only six home games. I do not know the exact number but only having six home games would be a significant hit to the Clemson Athletic Department balance sheet. Young alluded to the reality that football pays the bills for a lot of other sports and decisions will have to be made accordingly.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">All of this leads me to Young’s reaction to the question of whether or not the Georgia game will be played next year which was less than encouraging. He said, “I hope the Georgia game will be played.” That is disappointing to say the least. Here is the reality, Clemson will have five home conference games in seasons where Clemson travels to Columbia. Next season Clemson would have five home conference games, including a visit by Georgia. In 2014 Clemson would have only four home conference games, a visit from South Carolina, and six road games including the trip to Athens. It just does not add up from a competitive standpoint and from a fiscal stand point. Unfortunately, the Georgia matchup seems like it is in serious jeopardy thanks to the move by the ACC.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I did read an <a href="http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/02/sec_will_discuss_switching_to.html">article</a> where the SEC is looking at a nine game conference schedule but there seems to be a lack of support for such a move. As we know the SEC will add Texas A&amp;M and Missouri this year and will do so while playing an eight game conference schedule. Given the current sentiment among member schools in the SEC, the Clemson game would still be a viable option for Georgia. If the SEC goes to a nine game conference schedule, then you can forget about the Clemson-Georgia series. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There is never a dull moment within the Clemson Athletic Department. A lot of tough decisions are going to have to be made by the folks at Jervey as we look to the future from a fiscal perspective and as the landscape of the ACC changes. I will leave you with this….Does public sentiment outweigh meeting the financial obligations of the organization? <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div>CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-22452344657780620422012-02-27T15:19:00.001-05:002012-02-27T18:12:20.307-05:00Way too early thoughts on the 2012 Schedule……<div class="MsoNormal">After muddling through some schedule changes with West Virginia dropping Florida State at the eleventh hour and Georgia Tech finding an acceptable opponent following their contest against Virginia Tech on Labor Day night the ACC released the 2012 ACC Football schedule. Coach Paul Johnson desired to play a Football Championship Division opponent instead of previously scheduled Middle Tennessee State. I would like to remind Coach Johnson that Virginia Tech played Boise State on Labor Day night and then after an emotional game, came out flat and lost their home opener against James Madison. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ultimately that is neither here nor there, now that the issues have been worked out and we are ready for the 187 Days of pontificating to begin.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">How the schedule shakes out, when you face certain opponents can mean more than returning personnel. Enough talk take a gander……</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-insideh-themecolor: text1; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid black; mso-border-insidev-themecolor: text1; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 191;"><tbody><tr> <td style="border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Date<o:p></o:p></i></div></td> <td style="border-left: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Opponent<o:p></o:p></i></div></td> <td style="border-left: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Location<o:p></o:p></i></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>September 1, 2012<o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Auburn</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Atlanta/Georgia Dome</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>September 8, 2012</b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Ball State</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Clemson</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>September 15, 2012<o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Furman</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Clemson</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>September 22, 2012<o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Florida State</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Tallahassee</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>September 29, 2012<o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Boston College</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Chestnut Hill</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>October 6, 2012<o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Georgia Tech</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Clemson</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>October 13, 2012<o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">OPEN</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">OPEN</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>October 20, 2012<o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Virginia Tech</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Clemson</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>October 25, 2012 (Thurs)<o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Wake Forest</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Winston-Salem</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>November 3, 2012<o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Duke</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Durham</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>November 10, 2012<o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Maryland</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Clemson</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>November 17, 2012<o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">NC State</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Clemson</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>November 24, 2012<o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">South Carolina</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Clemson</div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Full disclosure my thoughts about the schedule will likely change more often than Mitt Romney’s views on social issues so bear with me if I lack consistency as we move through the offseason. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I am less than thrilled with the schedule. Back to back road trips to Florida State and Boston College, followed up with a home game against Georgia Tech, scares me to death. I guess you could compare it to the gauntlet the 2011 team faced last year but two of the three game are on the road instead of at home. I do like the bye week before Virginia Tech but, then four days later the team is off to Winston-Salem for a Thursday night game against Wake Forest. It should be noted that the Demon Deacons will be coming off a road game at Virginia. Clemson’s track record against Wake Forest at Groves Stadium, combined with a Thursday night is reason to cause concern.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I do like how the tail end of the schedule pans out with three home games. Depending on how things have played out following Duke, you have to feel good about playing at home against Maryland and NC State. The first six games will set the tone for the season in the same way the first five did for the 2011 campaign. Let the paralysis by analysis begin!!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-45720089433098841002012-01-06T16:29:00.000-05:002012-01-06T16:29:15.892-05:00The logical fallacy of college football<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nXBMLNfQB7g/Twdfn-SwYUI/AAAAAAAABNo/odN-8B50ff0/s1600/IMG_2083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nXBMLNfQB7g/Twdfn-SwYUI/AAAAAAAABNo/odN-8B50ff0/s320/IMG_2083.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the aftermath of Wednesday night's debacle in Miami I have read a lot of dumb stuff written by so called experts in drawing a correlation on bowl performance and next season's performance along with the overall state of a program. I am not trying to convince anyone that what I witnessed from Clemson last night was pleasant or enjoyable but I do think people need to step back a minute.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have heard a lot of people talk about the 2011 campaign as "disappointing" or "poor" this morning. I know emotions are often raw and just that full of emotion. To say that a 10-4 season for the Clemson Tigers is "poor" or "disappointing" chaps my ass to be frank. I will agree that the 2011 season was overshadowed at times with "poor" and "disappointing" performances. However, to paint the season as a whole in such a matter is shortsighted and disrespectful to the people who invested 1000s of hours into this season.</span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p2"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">College football is driven prognostications. Those prognostications are as fleeting as meal cravings. On a week to week basis we all, myself included seek to make definitive judgement statements about a team or program based on one game performances. It's silly and juvenile to be honest. It is like a teenage boy who is in love with girl A one week, she disappoints him so he then hates her, finds girl B days later thinks she is the one who is going to be the one he goes steady with, then 4 weeks later, she finds another guy who has bigger muscles, you catch my drift.</span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p2"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We spend all offseason after schedules come out and say we are going to win this game, that game, there is no way we lose that one because we never lose to those guys. We make these grandiose predictions like our teams can be manipulated like figures on a video game. Just in case some of you out there were concerned, the guys on the field are not the same people that show up on your screen when you play NCAA Football on your gaming platform.</span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p2"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It goes back to September 2, 2011, the night before the first game of the season. If we were having a conversation that day and the football gods came to you and said, Clemson will go 10-4 win the ACC, look abysmal in their losses and get blown out in their bowl game, not many people I know would not have taken that reality and ran with it.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p2"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We can now look back at a total work and draw conclusions but this team with 42 freshmen or sophomores on the roster, under the leadership of a first year starter at quarterback, new coordinator won 10 games and secured Clemson’s first conference title in 20 years. The sting of 70-33 will not go away quickly but this team had a really good year. I hate the fact that when we lost, we were defeated by an average of 24 points. It is head scratching but were you not head scratching when you in your late teens and early twenties?</span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p2"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I realize that people get paid a lot of money to make in the moment commentary. Sadly it is the culture we live in, who’s up, who’s down, who’s hot, who’s not, that is the reality that we face each day of our lives. I find it exhausting myself. Just because a dude that sells exceeds his sales number by 35% for eight consecutive months but then misses his sales quota September bounces back in October going above his number, misses his sales number in November and comes within 3% of hitting his sales goal in December. Is this a guy who should be fired? Has he had a “disappointing” or “poor” year? I would say not when you look at the total picture.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p2"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have said this in person to several people in the past “experts” put way too much emphasis or attempt to glean future success or failure based on bowl performances. Our friends in Tallahassee defeated South Carolina College in the Chik-fi-la Bowl last year, became the offseason media darlings, had a #5 preseason ranking and how did that workout?&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p2"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wednesday night was terrible, believe me I was there in my seat till the bitter end. To categorize the season as a whole as a “disappointment” or “poor” just just wrong.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p2"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In closing in all of the tweets, facebook comments and editorials coming out of the Wednesday Massacre, I found a blog that pretty much sums up how I feel about Clemson and why I am wearing orange today. A woman named Jess articulated the thoughts of most true Tigers and I will close out the 2011 Season with an exert from her thoughts. Thank you all for allowing to share my rants and thoughts. I will probably not have the time to write as much in the coming months as I close out grad school but I will be sure to send out a link when I am able to get some thoughts down.</span></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><i>Closing......</i></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"><i></i></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"><i></i></span></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i>“My alma mater&nbsp;is more than the color orange or purple. It is more than football or baseball or basketball.&nbsp;&nbsp;It is a feeling.&nbsp; And until you have experienced it, you just won't&nbsp;get it.&nbsp;&nbsp;My alma mater&nbsp;buries itself deep in your heart and thumps louder and louder and louder the older you get.</i></span></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="p4"><i><span class="s1"></span></i></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i>My alma mater&nbsp;is tradition.&nbsp;&nbsp;It's military background and agricultural education paved the way for the university we love today.</i></span></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="p4"><i><span class="s1"></span></i></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i>My alma&nbsp;mater has home-made ice cream.&nbsp; And for an ice cream lover, that makes for a little piece of heaven on&nbsp;Earth.</i></span></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="p4"><i><span class="s1"></span></i></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i>My alma mater has the most beautiful sunsets over the most&nbsp;beautiful clock tower.&nbsp; The sky is painted orange and purple in the most spectacular display of beauty a person can imagine.</i></span></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="p4"><i><span class="s1"></span></i></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i>My alma mater is family.&nbsp; I am forever bound&nbsp;by an unseen thread to men and women&nbsp;all over the world who feel the&nbsp;same feeling I do and have experienced the same traditions that I have experienced.</i></span></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="p4"><i><span class="s1"></span></i></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i>My alma mater is nestled in the foothills of&nbsp;the Blue Ridge mountains.&nbsp; And there is something in those hills that beckons me to return over and over and over again.&nbsp; It echos in my heart day after day.</i></span></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="p4"><i><span class="s1"></span></i></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i>My alma mater is Clemson University.&nbsp; And despite the score of the game last night--or any other time--the fact still remains that I love the ground in which I tread for 10 years, first as an undergraduate then a graduate student and finally an employee. I love Clemson University to the depths of my heart.&nbsp; Because it was during my time at Clemson, that I learned about faith and family and friends.&nbsp; It was during my time at Clemson that I learned how to be me.</i></span></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="p4"><i><span class="s1"></span></i></div><div class="p5"><span class="s1"><i>"There is something in these hills that brings together and binds together and holds together men and women of all persuasions, of all heights, sizes, weights, and cultural backgrounds--something that cuts across every difference, spans every gap, penetrates every wall--something that makes a man or a woman stand taller, feel better and say with high pride to all within earshot, "I went to Clemson."&nbsp; ~Joe Sherman, Class of 1934</i></span></div><div class="p5"><span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="p6"><i><span class="s1"></span></i></div><div class="p7"><span class="s1"><i>So today--just like any other day--I stand tall, feel better and still am proud to say that I went to Clemson.</i></span></div><div class="p7"><span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="p4"><i><span class="s1"></span></i></div><div class="p7"><span class="s1"><i>Go Tigers!&nbsp; Congratulations on an amazing 2011 football season!﻿"</i></span></div><div class="p7"><span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="p7"><span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="p7"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p7"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">http://as-for-my-house.blogspot.com/2012/01/little-bit-of-orange.html</span></span></div>CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-29787875036643950662012-01-03T13:50:00.003-05:002012-01-03T13:52:34.571-05:00The My State is Better than Your’s Orange Bowl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dHhqEeXLOB4/TwNON93ymFI/AAAAAAAAA3A/_Bxi1yYhZBQ/s1600/Discover+Orange+Bowl+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dHhqEeXLOB4/TwNON93ymFI/AAAAAAAAA3A/_Bxi1yYhZBQ/s400/Discover+Orange+Bowl+2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;In an age of awkward bowl title sponsorships, terrible games, empty stadiums, I thought I would take the liberty to change Wednesday night’s game to a more appropriate name. This will be the second meeting between the Tigers and Mountaineers. The first meeting took place in the 1989 Gator Bowl where Clemson prevailed 27-7. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This is an intriguing matchup on the field and on the government tape. Lets cut to the chase and see how Clemson and West Virginia match up.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-insideh-themecolor: text1; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid black; mso-border-insidev-themecolor: text1; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 191;"><tbody><tr style="height: 18.4pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"> <td style="border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 18.4pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div></td> <td style="border-left: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 18.4pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">South Carolina</div></td> <td style="border-left: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 18.4pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">West Virginia</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Per Captia Income</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">$32,505</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">$32,080</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Poverty Rate</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">18.1%</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">18.2%</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">% Completing College</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">20.1%</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">14.8%</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">% Completing HS only</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">39.4%</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">30%</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Unemployment Rate</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">9.9%</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">7.9%</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Population (millions)</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">4.5</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">1.8</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Fed Funds per person (FY10)</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">$10,415</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1.0pt; border-bottom: solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1.0pt; border-right: solid black; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-alt: .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">$11,260</div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">Information retrieved from: USDA Economic Research Service</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/sc.HTM">http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/sc.HTM</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/wv.HTM">http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/wv.HTM</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The tale of the Fed’s Tape indicates that West Virginia and South Carolina have more similarities than many South Carolinians would like to admit. There is a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJEj4jIsjXg">youtube</a> video making its way throughout the West Virginia message boards of a Clemson fan taking a brutal slap at the people of West Virginia. It is one of those things where a person from South Carolina making fun of West Virginia is like the pot calling the kettle black.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Two culturally similar schools with similar football histories, the Mountaineers have enjoyed a lot of success over the years but like their counterparts from Clemson, have had a hard time getting over the hump and transitioning into an elite program. In the midst of conference expansion earlier this season, rumors of West Virginia joining the ACC were thrown around. I for one thought the Mountaineers would have been a great fit for the ACC. Unfortunately, the higher ups at member institutions allowed their bigotry to shine through and added schools that do nothing for the conference but allow administrators to fall all over themselves at academic functions. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">It is important to understand West Virginia has a unique mission of access for the people of West Virginia. If you graduate from high school in the state of West Virginia, you are effectively given a chance at the flagship university.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This reality and the fact that West Virginia has held true to this mission, means they are not going to look sexy in US News school rankings. West Virginia is a&nbsp; more comprehensive institution than Clemson and makes strong efforts to meet the needs of the state. The people of West Virginia are a proud people, they take a lot of pride in where they come from and their values. It is a state that like South Carolina has a hard time getting out of its own way at times but offers its citizens good quality of life.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Enough about debunking stereotypes, there is a football game to be played tomorrow night. Couple of tidbits about WVU from my perspective, they have several athletes who are capable of putting on a show in a similar fashion as Sammy Watkins and Dwayne Allen. Names you should familiarize yourself with for the Mountaineers quaterback Geno Smith, receiver Tavon Austin, and receiver Steadman Bailey. WVU will throw the ball all over the yard. If the Clemson defense does not tackle well, it could be a long night.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Defensively, WVU will employ a 3-3-5 defense that can cause teams headaches in the ability to bring pressure from a variety of angles. Clemson fans have seen this offensive line struggle at times with odd front pressure packages. That being said, the Mountaineers are a light up front, which makes them susceptible to a power running game. Clemson will have a real opportunity to establish the run and if they can, it could be a good night for the Tigers. That being said, if the Clemson offense struggles and finds itself in long yardage situations on third down, defensive end Bruce Irvin will make it a long night for Tajh Boyd.</div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For better insight into West Virginia, I enlisted one of my best friends, Buseman for insight into WVU. He is currently a PhD candidate at WVU and a rabid college football fan.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: #222222;">Smoke and Mirrors vs. Slightly Better Smoke and Mirrors</span></i></b><i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #222222;">WVU is an inherently flawed football team.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">No better than last year, the Mountaineers will take the field as a team that relied on a particularly tricky mix of smoke and mirrors and pure, dumb luck to secure the terrible Big East’s BCS bid.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #222222;">The Mounties possess offensive skill position players who are roughly comparable to those of Clemson.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">Geno Smith is, for right now, a more experienced and talented QB than Boyd.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey are supreme talents and the RBs are young but pretty good.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">If the Orange Bowl was a 7-on-7 contest, WVU would stand a pretty good chance of winning.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #222222;">Unfortunately for the ‘eers, games are won on defense, in the trenches, and on special teams, and this squad has been either wildly inconsistent or downright horrific in these areas.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">The 3-3-5 works particularly well when an opponent has limited time to scout it – Clemson has had a month.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">Jeff Casteel, who I believe does about as much as he can with limited talent and a particularly feminine scheme, tends to abandon an entire side of the field in an oftentimes vain effort to supplement a spotty three-man pass rush.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">Julian Miller and Bruce Irvin are exceptional pass rushers, but they are too small to stop the run.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">WVU rotates in a pretty unremarkable and smallish platoon of NTs in the middle of the odd front.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">The LBs are serviceable but a bit on the slow and small side.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">If there is any spot on the defense where the Mounties can make some hay, it is in the backfield.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">Boyd fell in love with his arm and threw too many iffy passes towards the end of the season.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">The WVU DBs are good enough to take advantage of this flaw.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">Ultimately, though, I do not foresee Clemson having much trouble road-grading a small defensive front and running the ball downhill.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #222222;">The WVU offense was also spotty this year.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">This inconsistency is the direct result of the OL’s inability to protect Geno game in and game out.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">Still, there appears to be enough weapons on offense to keep the ‘eers in the game.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">I don’t think CU has an answer for Stedman or Tavon (in the same way the WVU defense will fail to contain Dwayne Allen and Sammy Watkins).<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #222222;">This game will turn on special teams.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">I am OK with WVU’s placekicker.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">However, punt and kick coverage have been disastrous this year.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">The Mounties have struggled on kick and punt coverage for several years now and they were no better this year.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">This deficiency comes from terrible tackling and lane discipline – a pretty disastrous combo given the talent Clemson has returning kicks.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">Even if WVU does somehow cover kicks, it may not matter as the two punters used this year have the nasty habit of decapitating the ball girl on the sidelines after a wounded-duck, 12-yard punt.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #222222;">Ultimately, I think Clemson gets at least one special teams TD and runs the ball down WVU’s throat.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222;">The Mounties will stick around, but they will play from behind all day and eventually succumb to a better team.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #222222;">CU 34 WVU 24<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There you have it from the WVU perspective. If the first two BCS games are any indication of what we can expect, don’t plan on going to sleep early tomorrow night.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In closing, I am humbled to have the opportunity to attend the Orange Bowl. After all the shoulda, coulda, and wouldas, to see a Clemson team finally rise to the occasion and win an ACC Championship again has brought me an immense amount of joy and satisfaction. Having waited 30 years to return to the Orange Bowl and 20 years for an ACC Title, I am going to soak this experience up like a sponge.&nbsp; It has been a fun ride and a special night awaits Tiger fans tomorrow night in Sun Life Stadium. GO TIGERS!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-77997347434425621282011-12-27T08:43:00.005-05:002011-12-27T08:50:59.469-05:00Wait...What just happened?<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a8zkzdNNuXo/TvnNBbOw3FI/AAAAAAAAA2k/5WRDB06iDMg/s1600/ACC+Champs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a8zkzdNNuXo/TvnNBbOw3FI/AAAAAAAAA2k/5WRDB06iDMg/s400/ACC+Champs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is truly amazing how quickly the college football season comes and goes. We spend so much time yearning for September and then before you know it is October and one-third of the season is already in the books. What is even crueler for people like me is that the end is near. Around midnight on January 4 the 2011 season will be in the books and I will start the countdown all over again. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is hard to believe I have been living this Groundhog Day type existence for as long as I can remember. There is something about the fall that brings me and others like me to life. I have long sought to figure out what that is that causes this drastic transformation and I think I have figured it out. It is the elusiveness of experiencing that moment when your team is the last team standing, it is living in the moment where you feel like you are on top of the world and no one and nothing can bring you down. It is walking into your team’s stadium and feeling like you are home. It is gathering with friends often on the same site as some of the best years of your life. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is all these things that make college football special. As Clemson Alum and fan, it gets more personal. It is that feeling of knowing, indeed, “There are something in these hills.” It is the concrete structure on the west side of campus that still becomes one of the larger cities in the state of South Carolina on fall Saturdays. It is hearing Frank Howard say, “If ya ain’t gonna give me a 110%, keep your filthy hands off my rock.” It is hearing the first chords of the Orange Bowl March as another edition of the Clemson Football team awaits atop of a hill in the, “Most Exciting 25 Seconds in College Football.” It is singing the alma mater at the end of each contest, win or lose because my love and devotion for my school goes beyond wins and losses.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is that same love and devotion that often takes us on an emotional roller coaster throughout the fall. Game to game, week to year, year to year, we lose ourselves because our happiness and moods are dictated by the actions or inaction of 18-22 year old children. I never said being a college football fan was healthy or made 100% sense but right or wrong this is the reality for many a man and woman. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Because of the microwave culture we live in, often experiences are lost in the busyness of life and memorable experiences are missed because we fail to reflect on what we have just experienced. There are so many moments of the 2011 season that I will remember.&nbsp; The magical three game stretch in late September and October is unlike anything I had experienced in recent memory. Lets be frank I was 12 years old and living in Colorado the last time Clemson won an ACC Football Title. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We fell behind Auburn at home and it had shades of yet another disappointing let down but these guys began to show that they were different from Clemson teams in the past. The following week we held off a pesky Florida State team who had been showered with National Championship chatter all summer. It was October 1 and my Tigers were 4-0 heading into Blacksburg, where they had little success in recent visits.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The wins against Auburn and Florida State were nice but a cold, wet, dreary Lane Stadium awaited these young Tigers. It was time to put up or shut up against the big kid on the block&nbsp; the Hokies of Virginia Tech. Winners of four ACC Titles since joining the conference less than 10 years ago, they had a right to have an air to them.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I was stuck at home with a catheter in and a bag hanging off my lazy boy coming off of surgery earlier in the week. All the pain and discomfort in the world was not going to keep me from watching the game. Most know how animated and emotional I get during Clemson football games and this one would bring out many emotions throughout but not to be lost was a sure fire way to tame me during a Clemson game. Have a five tube running out of you and I assure you become acutely aware that one false move can and will put you into an indescribable agony that you would not share with your worst enemy. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the midst of my timidity, my mighty Tigers went to Blacksburg and roared like a Tiger standing over its prey. Even the honey badger stood in applause on that chilly October evening that saw Clemson deliver an emphatic road win that started a national stir around the 2011 team and the Clemson program.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It would be another two weeks before I got to see my beloved Tigers in person. I made the short drive over to College Park, MD to see Clemson take on the Maryland Terrapins. It is this game that I came away knowing that this team was special. Falling down by 18 points twice to ultimately come back and win by 11 in regulation is mind-boggling. Early on it seemed like the fairytale would come to a not so happy ending. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The thing that stood out about the Maryland game was what took place before the game. I gathered with friends from college grilling out, enjoying food, reliving days gone by and then going to the game. That night was an indoctrination night for one person in our group, there first time at a Clemson football game and their first Clemson football game with James. God is good because the feeling of jubilation that she witnessed from me was much more attractive than what would have been on display if we had lost.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; While in the midst of this up and down emotional roller coaster real life is still happening on the outskirts of this oblong shaped piece of leather that causes even some of the nicest, well-mannered people to suffer a slip of the tongue. For me it was October 29. Clemson is playing Georgia Tech and I am on my way to Delaware for a family wedding. For a kid who grew up in Atlanta, this was the perfect storm of torment. It was an evening wedding so the game would be going strong during the reception. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As much as I would have liked to have skipped the reception, it just was not an option. It gets better, the country had been split by ABC and the game being shown was Stanford-USC (the real USC). The only thing I had was my phone. I had spent most of the day trying to talk myself into being classy and not allowing the ebb and flow of the game to impact my enjoyment of the reception. I was able to watch some games between the ceremony and the reception, so I was feeling pretty good about being able to handle myself and by the way, Georgia Tech had just gotten their butts kicked the week before, Clemson would be in a fight but in the end would cruise on to victory and everyone would be happy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As we all know this did not happen. In fact it got ugly and it got ugly early for my Tigers. Nothing was going right and my ability to put a happy face on quickly went up in smoke. I did not care about the stupid reception, I was pissed, at this point in the season, we were 8-0 and I will be man enough to admit it, I had National Championship on the mind and those plans were crashing in on me like a ton of bricks.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; By the time we leave the reception, Clemson is down 14 in the 4<sup>th</sup>. At this point I wanted to be left alone and was glad no one was left to ask me how Clemson was doing. I am fortunate to have satellite radio in our car so I was listening to Wes Durham on the call, when we forced the turnover that we needed to get back into the game. I had gotten my swagger back and then my All-ACC quarterback threw the ball into the end zone and right into the hands of a Yellow Jacket defender. I was crushed. I remember walking into the hotel, with my head down in disbelief. Any delusions of grandeur had gone out the door.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It took me a good while to go to sleep that night. I was so pissed. I hate losing in general but I loathe Georgia Tech and they had ended my dream season temporarily. The Tigers would lose 3 of their next four but was able to secure the Atlantic Division Championship in a thrilling win over Wake Forest. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Then came the rematch. At this point you had two team heading into Charlotte heading in two very different directions, the Hokies were riding a 7 game win streak with their only loss coming at the hands of my Tigers back in October. Clemson had lost three of four, including a butt whooping in Columbia from South Carolina College. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The boys dressed in Orange came up with a performance no one could have dreamed of based on what had happened during the last quarter of the season. Early in the 4<sup>th</sup> quarter barring a meltdown of nuclear proportions I was on my way to experience that feeling of watching my team celebrate as the last team standing. It may not have been a Nation Title but it did not matter. 20 years of angst and frustration were relieved.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The win as great as it was, did not surpass the time spent with friends and family before and after the game. We can talk about the hoopla, the pain that is noon kickoffs, stupid play calls and so on, but what always stands out when I am on my way home is the time spent with people. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The friends who make the fall weekend pilgrimages to see their Tigers play makes for such a meaningful and purposeful day. Regardless of the outcome on the field I am always thankful for the opportunity to gather as friends, to cheer on a team, represent a school and community we all love. I will not forget this season for many reasons but the main reason is because of the time spent with people I care about and share unbreakable bonds with. I am blessed beyond measure to have that as a reality in my life and I appreciate everyone who has shared this 2011 Clemson Football journey with me. It ain’t over just yet, we have one more but what an unforgettable year it has been and thank you for being apart of it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Happy New Year Everyone!!!</div></div>CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-67647495726931798162011-12-11T09:10:00.004-05:002011-12-11T09:13:16.880-05:00Tweet That!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TYrGZrHByZA/TuS5e1o7j8I/AAAAAAAAA2A/PAXswsJaV9o/s1600/IMG_1792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TYrGZrHByZA/TuS5e1o7j8I/AAAAAAAAA2A/PAXswsJaV9o/s320/IMG_1792.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kMMTr2DRLJ4/TuS5yBPhusI/AAAAAAAAA2M/tb7J1qAFDcU/s1600/IMG_1801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kMMTr2DRLJ4/TuS5yBPhusI/AAAAAAAAA2M/tb7J1qAFDcU/s320/IMG_1801.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;First I would like to remember my uncle Haywood Bostic who fueled my love for Clemson football and helped me understand the game as a young man. While he is always on my heart, the week leading up to the Championship game he was front and center as I headed to Charlotte to see my Tigers play for an ACC Title.&nbsp; As much fun as the beat down of the Hokies was his absence was felt in a profound way and I know he was smiling down as we finally busted down the door to a conference championship.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I had commented what a difference three weeks makes as I was perusing Clemson message boards and saw numerous posts of people selling their tickets to the Championship game. The bandwagon had thinned out and looking back, I want thank those folks who did not have the character or the intestinal fortitude to stay by your team. Ultimately the Clemson Faithful who rolled in to Charlotte Saturday night rolled in leaner and meaner than they had all season.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A lean and mean machine football team showed up in Charlotte on a cool crisp Saturday night. I did not have high expectations for the outcome but we were in the game as the Atlantic Division Champions and that gave us a chance. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Upon arrival in Charlotte, we were welcomed to a Bowl-like atmosphere. The ratio of Clemson fans to Hokies &nbsp;was roughly 2 to 1. On a side note, Charlotte has grown into a dynamic city. It is a city with southern genteel, coupled with professional exuberance that has allowed it to make tremendous strides in the last 20 years. Our colleagues from Blacksburg were walking around with a quiet yet smug confidence. Coming into the game the Hokies had won seven in a row and had risen to number five in the BCS rankings. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Early in the week I think I was like a lot of Clemson fans who found themselves reeling from the loss to South Carolina. I am not sure what was more disturbing the fact that our Tigers had lost or the fashion in which the Gamecocks seemingly dispatched Clemson with relative ease. Then what was a ho-hum week, changed profoundly the Thursday prior to the ACC Championship game as Coach Swinney met with the press after practice.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Coach Swinney responded to comments tied to South Carolina College coach Steve Spurrier regarding Clemson. While the comments may or may not have been made by Coach Spurrier, Coach Swinney’s response created a buzz throughout Clemson Nation that there was no reason for Clemson fans to be walking around with their heads down and with their tails tucked between their legs. We may never know who the comments were directed to but it served as a wake up call to a fan base that had lost its way just like its football team’s offense. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Not that Clemson fans could have dreamed up what was about to transpire on the field in Charlotte, it was a shot in the arm that Clemson fans did not need to make any apologies to anyone about going to Charlotte and playing for an ACC Title. Prior to Thursday’s comments, there were offers all over Clemson message boards with people trying to off load their tickets to Charlotte. The feeling was not good surrounding this Clemson team. More time was being spent on Coach Swinney’s comments and the post-South Carolina game aftermath than the game in Charlotte.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Luckily for Clemson fans, they are fans and not players. It was reported that Coach Swinney had a 2-hour meeting with his team the Monday leading up to the rematch with the Hokies. The meeting was about accountability to themselves and to each other. Football is a game of execution and it does not take Knute Rockne to know that this Clemson team was not executing well in any phase of the game. &nbsp;Despite the cloud and uncertainty surrounding the Clemson team, they took the field with an opportunity to emerge Champions.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It was clear from the get go, that this was a different Clemson team than what fans and coaches had seen in the closing weeks of the season. We saw a team that was focused on the task at hand and prepared to do what the coaches had prepared them to do. Despite the 10-10 score at half, it was becoming apparent it was one of those Saturdays where Clemson was the only team in the stadium that could stop Clemson.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What transpired on the field of Bank of America Stadium during the first 16:56 of the second half was art in motion. Our Tigers came out like a team that was 30 minutes away from fulfilling its destiny and the execution, the poise displayed during the 3<sup>rd</sup> quarter will be appear in coaching clinics for years to come and may go down as one of the finest 3<sup>rd</sup> quarters in Clemson Football history. This team could not be stopped in any phase of the game.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You saw coaches on the sidelines giving chest bumps and high fives. There was an energy and swagger on the Clemson sideline that had been missing since prior to the Georgia Tech game. Our good friend Mo Mentum picked a great night to reacquaint himself with the Clemson football team and fan base. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There is so much in the third quarter that I see with each time I watch the replay on DVR. First and foremost is the fact that Clemson ran more running plays than pass plays. The offensive line held up after losing Phillip Price. Andre Ellington is the engine that makes this team go and he is one of the best backs to play at Clemson in recent history. Dwayne Allen is a beast. Sammy is Sammy. Do not forget about DeAndre Hopkins and Jaron Brown making big catches for this team. Andre Branch, Brandon Thompson those defensive linemen have played well all year.&nbsp; Coty Sensabaugh a late addition when he signed with Clemson has been superb all year in the secondary. It is amazing when linebackers play downhill and with good run fits.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A week later I am up on a Sunday morning still in disbelief of what happened last Saturday in Charlotte. Leave no doubt the Clemson University Fightin’ Tigers are the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference Champions!!! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I am thankful for my friends and their wives who took the time to travel to Charlotte and gather together with the opportunity reconnect, laugh and bond. There is not another group of people who I would have rather shared last Saturday night with than my boys. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Our Tigers are Orange Bowl Bound. I cannot wait for the January 4, 2012 match up with the West Virginia Mountaineers.</div>CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-91519459593157877972011-11-29T06:21:00.000-05:002011-11-29T06:21:38.905-05:00Tire Fire<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sER2kBq58uc/TtS_DT5FCHI/AAAAAAAAAmA/J20BQ4k3bsU/s1600/TireFire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sER2kBq58uc/TtS_DT5FCHI/AAAAAAAAAmA/J20BQ4k3bsU/s320/TireFire.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;After watching South Carolina dispatch Clemson like a rented mule I was pissed. Pissed because losing to South Carolina is just unacceptable. It was apparent early on in the ball game the Clemson coaching staff did not care, they were not interested in the outcome of this game in the least. It is not a big deal to them that people have been defending them during this four game nightmare as this team flounders. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We were fed the all of our goals are still out there, we will get it fixed, this is the biggest game of the year and come out with the effort they came out with Saturday? This Clemson team did not have a chance in this ball game, in spite of the numerous opportunities the Clemson defense gave the offense, especially in the second half.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I am not making 180k a year to coach football so anything I write is merely theoretical thinking but I am going to write it any way because football is a simple enough of a game that a team like South Carolina can play basic football and kick its opponent’s ass up and down a field for 6o minutes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Everyone and their mother knew Clemson was not going to be able to block the South Carolina front four, especially on deep drop back passes. There are things you can do against an athletic front four. You can max protect, you can roll your quarterback out, use the screen game or utilize the three-step drop to get rid of the ball quickly. We basically saw none of this in the Clemson game plan.&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If you cannot block a team rushing four on five and seven steps drops then you have to switch it up. Please feel free to do something. Is not the definition of insanity trying the same thing over and over after getting the same result, thinking it will somehow change? For some reason, this team has linebackers who are coached not to read and attack the line of scrimmage. For some reason this team has a secondary who could not slow down a Pop Warner team because of its dependence of man coverage. For some reason this team does not know that fundamental tackling involves wrapping up, playing with low pad level and running through the ball carrier. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; While we the fans and supporters are made to be morons, while we are being lied to why should we care? I am honestly trying to figure out why in the hell am I so freaking pissed off when I am a fan of a team who’s coaching staff failed their team. If Coach Swinney fails his team and thinks it is ok then there is no reason for me to defend this coaching staff or to get upset over something I had no direct involvement. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There is a difference is losing and getting beat. These guys are getting beat up and down the field. This is a team that has no confidence whatsoever, especially on the offensive side of the ball. There has to be a way to get back to basics. I know the coaching staff did the responsible thing by taking Phillip Price out of the ball game but he has to be able to play next week in Charlotte. Get a hyperbaric chamber for him to sleep in, call in a witch doctor. It is terrible how one injury has decimated this team. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yes I am out of my mind pissed off about 9-3 as should every Clemson fan under the sun. It is not an issue of being 9-3 it has everything to do with what has transpired in the process of getting to this point. Momentum and confidence are a huge part of the college game and when you have it, you feel like you can beat anybody, when you lose it, you feel like you cannot beat anybody. That is where this team is at this point.</div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the midst of the pain and frustration there is another game to be played next weekend in Charlotte. While Clemson has willingly relinquished the role of state dominance, there is a chance this team could win the ACC for the first time since 1991.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The thought of winning a conference title is almost laughable after what has happened during the last four games of the season but the opportunity is still there. The chance to do something that has not been done in a long time is out there for the taking. I am not sure what this team can do to make that a reality because you will see a carbon copy offensive game plan from Virginia Tech next week. In the same way Clemson is not the same team it was back in early October, the Hokies have found their identity offensively with quarterback Logan Thomas as the table setter.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I am going to say it now, be prepared to see more quarterback runs next Saturday. Thomas is a more physical runner than Connor Shaw but is capable of being just as effective in the running game. The Hokies have running back David Wilson who has put up excellent numbers throughout the season. They have a defense that has held its own despite some key injuries up front and at linebacker.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Silver lining in all of this? Their front four is not nearly as dominant as South Carolina. Virginia Tech regardless of their ranking going into the game on Saturday is not unbeatable but they are confident. They have payback on their mind and it will take an out of body type experience by Clemson next Saturday in order for Clemson to win. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Back in October Clemson won the battle up front on both sides and did a nice job making enough plays on offense to get a huge win on the road. The Clemson defense neutralized Thomas and Wilson was not a factor despite going over 100 yards rushing on the ground. Andre Branch went back to his home state and had a field day in the Virginia Tech offensive backfield. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is going to take that type of effort if the Tigers have a glimmer of hope in winning in Charlotte Saturday night. Lets face it this defense is not going to stop anyone at this point, not Edwards Middle School, let alone an offense with a mobile quarterback like Logan Thomas. The only hope at this point is to contain Thomas and Wilson and hope they do not make too many plays down the field or this one gets ugly early.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I will be honest. I am not enamored with the Hokies, I am sorry Turkey fans, you do not have a chance to play for a National Title and if you did, you would get your brains beat in so bad, you would need dental records to identify the remains. They are not complex on offense but the Hokies will be facing a defense that allegedly, knew what South Carolina was going to do and how did that work out? They are going to try to get David Wilson going in the ground game on the perimeter. I have never seen a running back run so fast towards the sideline in my life. In order to stop this, Clemson has to be physical up front and the linebackers have to play downhill and force Wilson back inside. (I just laughed when I wrote that but it is the truth)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To be honest unless the defensive staff is prepared to swallow their pride and change things up, play less man coverage, get the linebackers playing downhill instead of taking false steps, Clemson has no chance. All night long the Clemson linebackers were seen taking steps backwards and having linemen in perfect position to make blocks three seconds after the Clemson linebackers had diagnosed the play. I don’t care what level of football you are playing if you first steps are backwards as a linebacker you are done. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Clemson cannot have their back seven running around with their backs to the football while a quarterback is running for 20 yards. You cannot grab at a Division-1 skill player and think you are going to arm tackle them. Tackling is like free throw shooting, it has nothing to do with talent but everything to do with repetition and attention to detail. You cannot run into an opponent and expect them to go down, especially with a low center of gravity like David Wilson and a quarterback with Cam Newton-esque size. Virginia Tech is going to lull you to sleep with the run and then throw the ball down the field to one of their serviceable wide receivers. There is not much else to say other than hope for the best.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Offensively Clemson is a dumpster fire. The Clemson offensive line is softer than down comforter. The offensive line was effective in pass protection for eight games. Their run blocking has been something to be desired throughout and as teams have adjusted what how they play in the secondary, the wheels have slowly come off the ship. You can have the good Lord himself lined up in the backfield or at receiver but if you put the Clemson offensive line in front of Him, even he would have to work overtime to make anything happen.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Tajh Boyd is pressing, he is not accurate, and is lacking in his decision-making. A lot of that comes from running for your life but his pocket presence is horrendous. His inability to step up in the pocket and to show just a little bit of mobility he is done. Opponents are right, if you can put pressure on Boyd he will fold like a tent. At this point given how poorly the offensive line is playing I am calling out Chad Morris. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You have an offensive line that is about as competent as White House Chief of Staff Billy Daley. Instead of being creative with the three step passing game, screen game, rolling your quarterback out, you continue to put him in danger by calling five and seven step drop pass plays that your offensive line is not capable of blocking at this point. I am sorry. It is apparent that if Phillip Price is not effective, this Clemson offensive line is not capable of holding up against a stout pass rush. What is Coach Morris prepared to do to help this offense be successful? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Saturday, Clemson was starting to have some success on the ground and he ultimately went away from it. It was overall a disappointing effort from the coaching staff from top to bottom. Despite the personnel issues, especially on defense, coaches have to put players in position to be successful and unfortunately the Clemson staff failed miserably last week at preparing this team to win.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There is not much to say about next week going against Virginia Tech. There is no reason to believe that the light will come back on for this Clemson team.&nbsp; I fully expect this one to get ugly early. There is no getting around it. This team has lost its mojo and Virginia Tech is not the team that is going to willingly allow you to regain it. I am looking forward to spending time with friends next week but unless this team spends the week with a sports shrink and the coaching staff decides to come to terms with the reality of this team’s current limitations it will be an evening of Hokie Coronation on Saturday night.&nbsp;</div><!--EndFragment-->CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-60074193053680146192011-11-17T05:56:00.004-05:002011-11-17T06:02:30.816-05:00No Not Again.......<div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; There was five minutes left in the 3<sup>rd</sup> quarter, the Tigers had just played the worst 10 minutes of the season and all I could think, “Please, please not again”. With 20 minutes of football left to be played I knew there was enough time but was there enough defense or enough offensive execution to get the Tigers back in the game? I have to be honest, I would have had to been taken to a mental hospital if Clemson had lost Saturday. There was no way anyone could have stopped the tirade that would have ensued. Someone was looking out for the public good and once again, this team showed true mettle down the stretch and came away with a 31-28 victory over Wake Forest to claim its second Atlantic Division title in three years.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lets go back to Columbus Day 2008. I remember getting a call from my dad saying, “it’s over”. Referring to the termination of then head coach Tommy Bowden. At that point, Clemson was coming off of a bad loss at Wake Forest. The program seemed in disarray and was now under the leadership under a guy who had been the wide receivers coach, just hours before. Fast forward to the present and Clemson will play for an Atlantic Coast Conference Championship for the second time in three years. I think Clemson fans should take a few moments to revel in the progress that has been made and credit coach Swinney for the job he has done to put his stamp on the program and continued ability to recruit high caliber athletes to Clemson.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Clemson fans cannot forget about last season. Offensively, Clemson resembled an out of control dumpster fire. It was a team with out an identity and seemingly could not get out of its own way. I remember being in the West End Zone for the South Carolina game and having a mini meltdown because I was sick of watching my team be toyed with like a punk. I had long voiced my frustration towards the coaching staff, especially on the offensive side of the ball due to their inability to put teams with good to great talent in position to win games. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Last season happened and there is no excuse that can legitimize what occurred on the field. Though it did not seem like it at the time, Coach Swinney is not as stupid as I was beginning to think he was after watching Clemson stumble at the end of the 2010 season. Do I agree with every call? Of course not but I do know that he is far from the village idiot that many people outside of Clemson attempt to make him out to be. First Coach Swinney is an intelligent man who was groomed in one of the most successful programs in the country, secondly as reports support after the dismissal and additions of staff members, Coach Swinney on his own had begun to look at staff changes before the conclusion of the 2010 season. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Staff changes are made in January, in February, Clemson signs a Top 10 recruiting class, and there is positive buzz around the program. There is an excitement about the new offensive scheme that promised to be more explosive. Move forward to the middle of September Auburn came to Clemson, jumps on the Tigers early but the 2011 Clemson Tigers showed they were a different bunch by coming back after being down 14 points. Here we are with two games remaining 9-1 with an opportunity to close out an 11-1 regular season. Let that marinate on your mind for a few minutes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Back to Saturday’s game and being a mental case. I would be equally distraught if I were a Wake Forest football player or coach. Your team forces three turnovers that lead to 14 points, commit one penalty, and return a punt for a touchdown and lost? How in the world does that happen? There are not many circumstances where that happens and a team loses a ball game. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You have to give Wake credit. I thought they came out focused and ready to play for 60 minutes. I honestly thought Clemson could prey upon a solid team that was coming off of an emotional game at home the previous week and coast to victory. I was wrong to say the least. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Demon Deacons came to Clemson with a good game plan. Defensively, they dropped eight in coverage and made Tajh Boyd try and nickel and dime them, something that worked effectively for over two quarters of football. In turn Boyd could have thrown eight interceptions on Saturday compared to the three that went in the box score. It was ugly to say the least. Clemson continues to struggle in the run game despite rushing for a final total of 179 yards. The Clemson guards are soft. Antoine McClain and Brandon Thomas have generated no push and are largely responsible for the inefficiency of the Clemson running game. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Offensively, Wake leaned on their big and experienced offensive line and just worked Clemson like a dog. In the passing game they gave Price all the day in the world to complete passes and he did with good efficiency. It was frustrating to watch the defense not get pressure or not secure sacks. Wake came into the game with one of the worst rushing offenses in the nation, shows up in Death Valley and running back Brandon Pendergrass rushes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After going up 28-14 Wake Forest would have the ball four more times and those drives ended with Punt, Punt, Missed Field Goal and Punt. Clemson was able to go on three scoring drives that included two touchdowns and the game winning field goal from Chandler Catanzaro. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As frustrating as Saturday was Clemson rolled up 522 yards of total offense and held Wake Forest to 317 yards of total offense. The lack of numbers for Wake come from getting the ball on turnovers on a short field but when the dust cleared those are not bad numbers. Clemson made its move without the services of Super Frosh Sammy Watkins who had gone out of the game with a shoulder injury. The area of concern continues to be turnovers. Clemson has turned the ball over seven times in the last two games and lets be honest should have been two Clemson losses.&nbsp; Clemson cannot continue to turn the ball over and expect to win.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Fixing the turnover issue started Monday with film review and practice. Clemson heads to Raleigh Saturday with the Atlantic Division in hand a date with South Carolina looming the following week, you catch my drift? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">I am not sure what to make of NC State. This is a team that has been up and down like the stock market. Wolf Pack head coach Tom O’Brien came under tremendous scrutiny after he parted ways with three-year starter Russell Wilson who played professional baseball during the off-season. Wilson is now at Wisconsin where he is having a fine season in Madison. Wilson’s replacement Mike Glennon has put up good numbers this year having thrown for over 2000 yards with a 20-10 touchdown to interception ratio. The Pack has several receivers who can make plays. We cannot forget about preseason All-ACC tight end George Bryan who has not put up the numbers many expected but is a big play threat.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Clemson defense will have their hands full with junior running back James Washington who has shown the ability to get things going on the ground. Clemson must find a way to play with better run fits with their linemen and linebackers. Last Saturday, the linebackers seemingly were non-existent on Wake’s two long rushing touchdowns that came on basic plays. I would expect NC State to make a concerted effort to establish the ground game and keep Clemson off balance with a steady passing game. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As Jekyll and Hyde as NC State has been this season, they are good enough to beat the Tigers if they cannot get off the field on defense, turn the ball over and cannot sustain drives. This is a NC State that has struggled to score points in its last four games. They were shutout against Florida State, scored 13 against North Carolina and 10 points last week in a loss to Boston College. Sadly with Clemson’s defensive woes the last several weeks, I expect NC State to move the ball effectively against the Tigers. The key is going to be keeping them out of the end zone.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Offensively, Clemson is going to face the leading interceptions leader in the nation David Amerson with 10 picks on the year. If Tajh rolls into Carter-Finley thinking he is Brett Farve on Saturday, it could get interesting. NC State likes to bring pressure and mix coverage, it is going to be imperative that Tajh goes through his progressions and not be afraid of his check downs. Anything Clemson gets from the running game should be counted as money in the bank. The Tigers will continue to struggle running the football as long as the guards are unable to get a push. I am interested to see how the absence of tackle Phillip Price will impact the Clemson run game. Guard Brandon Thomas will move to tackle while 5<sup>th</sup> year senior David Smith takes over at guard. This was the combination that was in the game late last Saturday that helped Andre Ellington break a couple long runs.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The game Saturday in Raleigh will boil down to Tajh Boyd’s decision making. If Boyd goes out Saturday over zealous, it will cost Clemson. If he is smart with the football, Clemson is hard to stop. Clemson cannot just show up and win. NC State needs one win in its last two games to be bowl eligible. NC State looks solid one game, then looks terrible the next. I hate to say it but the Pack was awful on Saturday in Chestnut Hill, so I would expect them to play with enthusiasm as they host a Top 10 team in their stadium.</div>CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-64770794311033106052011-11-12T07:05:00.000-05:002011-11-12T07:05:41.651-05:00Win and you're in......<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I have to admit it has been hard to focus on Clemson football this week given the news that broke last Saturday in State College, PA. At this point, I am suffering from saturation from the rhetoric but I will say, I have a lot of mixed emotions about the situation. My heart goes out to the victims and my thoughts are with Penn State alums, most of whom have an unabashed loved and commitment to their alma mater and must be struggling to grapple with a terrible situation.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; While we would not know it from what we are seeing on ESPN and what is being talked about on WCCP there is a huge football that will take place in a few hours at Death Valley. I am sitting here listening to the Tiger Pregame Show and I feel like I can actually write with a clear mind knowing that the focus is on Clemson and not other events that have been at the forefront this week. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Today’s game will not be a cakewalk. Wake has some good pieces who if they can get going can give Clemson fits. Remember this is a team that beat FSU, took Virginia Tech to the wire, played very well last week against Notre Dame and most importantly control their own destiny to get to Charlotte. If there is any complacency amongst Tiger fans, if Clemson loses to Wake this weekend, the Demon Deacons have Maryland next week to close out their ACC slate and with a win against the Terps would head to Charlotte. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As sobering of thought that may be I expect this Clemson team to really come out and perform well this week. Coming off the bye week this team had been grinding for 14-15 weeks going back to the start of fall camp and nine hard fought football games. There is no doubt that they needed some time away, many guys needed a chance to get healthy, and recharge their mental batteries. I feel like they were able to accomplish that and have been able to flush the Georgia Tech loss and really focus on the task at hand.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Wake Forest is led offensively by Sophomore quarterback Tanner Price and receiver Chris Givens. It should be noted that Chris Givens is the leading receiver in the ACC ahead of Clemson freshmen Sammy Watkins. Again, if you are sleeping on the Demon Deacons, they have a kid who has had a better statistical season up to this point than a guy who most believe will be National Freshman of the Year. Tanner Price is very efficient with the football, does not turn the ball over and does a good job of getting the ball to people like Givens and letting them make plays. Also expect Wake to take their shots deep as most other teams have against the Clemson man defense.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You cannot forget about running backs Josh Adams and Brandon Pendergrass both are capable of taking a game over on the ground. I would also would not be surprised to see some read option from the Deacons to see if they can take advantage of the Clemson defense and their inability to slow down quarterbacks in the run game. Wake may have the biggest offensive line Clemson has faced all year. That is something to keep an eye on during the game.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Clemson is going to have to tackle well in space today. They are going to have to play well with their eyes and remain on their keys. Price gets the ball out quickly so the Tigers will have to be creative in disguising coverage and how they affect the quarterback. These guys have stepped up when the team has needed it. As much criticism as the defense got coming off the Georgia Tech loss, the reality is they gave the offense enough opportunities to go out and win the game in Atlanta. I believe they will do the same today.</div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Defensively Wake will bring in one of the smallest defensive lines you will see in&nbsp; Football Bowl Subdivision but do not let that fool you into thinking that Clemson will be able to just steam roll these guys. They play with great effort and pad level. They will slant, twist and utilize their quickness and agility to create havoc for the Clemson offensive line.&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Deacons have athletic linebackers who do a nice job against the run and are solid in coverage. The guy you need to look for is safety Josh Bush who is very comfortable in pass coverage and leads Wake in interceptions. Corner Merrill Noel leads the ACC in Passes Defended. Wake Forest has some guys who are not afraid to mix it up in the box. I am excited to see how they choose to approach the potent Clemson receiver corps. I would expect them to give Tajh Boyd a lot of different looks in an attempt to confuse him and force some poor decisions.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;There is a chance Clemson could get kickoff specialist Spencer Benton back today after he broke a collarbone against Virginia Tech. That has been a glaring issue in regards to field position in his&nbsp;absence. It has been reported that Coach Swinney would like to sit him for one more week but it would not surprise me if we see him today. I would also like to see the Catman hit some field goals when we have to have them. Dawson Zimmerman continues to have a good season punting the ball and that needs to continue today.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The game today boils down to how Clemson responds coming off the bye week. There is a trip to Charlotte at stake, this will be the last time our seniors play in the Death Valley and I can’t tell you how important it is for them to go out with a win. We have a chance to go undefeated at home in over 20 years. There is a lot to be excited about going into the game today. Despite the noon kick, I hope there is a great crowd and look forward to being in the Valley and hopefully celebrating an Atlantic Division Championship later this afternoon.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><!--EndFragment-->CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-39016845484138437742011-11-01T10:53:00.001-04:002011-11-01T10:55:05.986-04:00Breathe in...Breathe Out<div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The sting of defeat often lingers longer than the joy of victory. There is still a bitter taste in the mouths of Clemson fans on November 1. I know many are disappointed but lets take some time this week to try to have some perspective and take a look at where this football team is now that it has arrived at its Open Date. I will take some time to evaluate position groups and also look to the future from a personnel perspective. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I think it is important to reiterate that this Clemson team is ranked 11<sup>th</sup> in the most recent BCS standings, which means that this they can work their way back up the rankings and possibly earn a final Top 5 ranking when all the dust settles. This team is a good outing against Wake Forest away from clinching the Atlantic Division title. This program is two good outings away from a 7-1 conference record, three good efforts from a 11-1 regular season. There is still a lot to be excited about and time to look back on the wild and crazy that has been the 2011 football season.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I have said several times in my writing, how many people would have said, blah, blah, blah on September 2. I will ask on more of these antagonizing questions. How many people on September 2 would have said this team would not lose its first game until the end of October? Uh huh, not many if any out there could have seen the nine game stretch Clemson fans have seen to open the season. Lets be real, if someone said to you on First Friday, “Hey I have magic powers and I can guarantee that Clemson will be 8-1 going into November will you take it?” There is not a soul out there that would have not taken it and run.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Losing stinks and losing to Georgia Tech stinks even worse. Note, this blog written by a person who grew up in Atlanta and dealt with their, “I would not know a football if it hit me square in the head,” mentality. They won the game, they did what they had to do on the field and there is a chance Clemson could see them again in Charlotte on December 3. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Back to the task at hand, where is this football team nine games into the season? Throughout the week I am going to take a look at the offensive side of the ball and evaluate the position groups including punter and kicker.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Here on November 1, the Clemson Tigers rank 5<sup>th</sup> in the nation in total offense. Let that simmer on your mind for a minute. The only teams who have been more productive offensively are Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Houston. The Tigers have rolled up 4259 yards of total offense a mere 94 yards from eclipsing last year’s offensive numbers of 4353. This offense could have the opportunity to take the field five more times this season. Anyone doubting the impact first-year offensive coordinator Chad Morris is having on Clemson just falls into the Georgia Tech category of there knowledge of football. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Quarterback grade -A</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Tajh Boyd has been somewhere around spectacular at times this season. Again, lets be honest. Going into the season there was no indication that Boyd would play as well as he has through nine games. He looked less than spectacular in mop up duty against South Carolina and in the bowl game against South Florida. Even in the Spring Game, not many Clemson fans came away feeling overly confident about the quarterback position. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Now, nine games into the season, it is apparent that Coach Morris had a plan for Tajh. He had specific aspects of his game that he knew he had to improve up during the off-season. It is apparent that Boyd took those things to heart and asserted himself as the leader of this team.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It was not pretty early on against Troy but moving forward it has been a lot of fun to watch Tajh Boyd lead this offense to eight wins in nine opportunities. He has been efficient with the ball throwing twenty-five touchdowns and only five interceptions. He has come up with some big time throws on key plays throughout the season. He has led this offense on scoring drives when they have had to have points. He has gotten the ball to receivers so that they can make plays in space. That is an often-overlooked aspect of a quarterback’s game.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Boyd has been efficient running the ball. He is no Cam Newton but has shown the ability to move around the pocket and scramble when called upon. He has done well on called quarterback runs. It has been fun to watch Boyd develop into the quarterback many talked about him being when he signed out of high school.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As efficient as Tajh has been this season there have been times when you go back when watching film and think, “what did he see”? For the most part he got away with those, “oh my goodness” throws. It did cost him a pick-six against Maryland and a potential touchdown in the red zone against Georgia Tech. You just cannot have those types of mistakes and not have them bite you at some point.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is apparent that Tajh predetermines where he is going with the football before the snap of the ball. Two things, I know about pre-snap reads and their importance of speeding up decision-making, also I know when a quarterback is locking into a receiver. At times Tajh has fallen in love with Sammy Watkins athletic ability to make plays than making the proper reads and getting the ball to wide open receivers. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You saw it Saturday night against Georgia Tech but if you want to make life miserable for Tajh Boyd, blitz. Blitz corners, linebackers, safeties, kitchen sinks, etc. He looked very uncomfortable picking up the Georgia Tech blitz. This is something very important to see how he responds during the last four to five games of the season. I would expect teams to start salivating when they watch the Georgia Tech film and feel confident about how they can affect the Boyd in the pocket. Clemson will face another 3-4 defensive team November 12 when Wake Forest comes to Death Valley. I will be interested to see if they use similar aggressive tactics to try to disrupt Boyd. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Clemson fans have been treated to much improved quarterback play this season and that credit goes to Coach Morris who has worked to mold Boyd into one of the Top quarterbacks in the ACC. There is still room for improvement for this season and on into the future. Fans have to like what they have seen thus far and be excited about what he can accomplish during the stretch run.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I want to touch quickly on the two other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster Cole Stoudt and Tony McNeal. We have seen only a little bit of Cole Stoudt in game action. He looks the part of a quarterback and was seen as a possible threat to Tajh when he joined the Clemson program in January. He saw a bulk of time against Boston College when he came into the game with the outcome still in doubt a led Clemson on two scoring drives to put the game away. We have not seen much from Stoudt in the down field passing game but all indications are is that he could be a good one for Clemson down the road.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Tony McNeal is the other quarterback on scholarship who enrolled back in January. The young man is seen as more athletic than Boyd or Stoudt but is pretty raw when it comes to developing as a passer. I think he is a young man who will flourish over time under Coach Morris’ tutelage. I know it will be the hope of Coach Morris to have McNeal compete with Stoudt for the backup position moving into next spring.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Both Stoudt and McNeal will get more reps and opportunities this week when the Tigers take to the practice field. These young men will get a chance to get coached up and showcase their progress during the off week. As we have seen, Stoudt is only one play away from being the number one guy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There is reason to be excited about this group. To see how far they have come in nine months has to make Clemson fans excited about the future at this position. Their continued development and maturation will be key to future success for this program on the offensive side of the ball.</div>CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-27365884269763614112011-10-30T20:21:00.000-04:002011-10-30T20:21:55.850-04:00Buzz Kill.....<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Clemson’s eight game win streak is now over but all is not lost. As disappointed as I am with yesterday’s performance and outcome, this team is 8-1 and is one win against Wake Forest from securing a trip to Charlotte. I did not see any of the game until the game was well in hand for the Yellow Jackets due to a family wedding in Delaware. I could have it worse, my in-laws got ten inches of snow and were looking at the real possibility of going back to a house with no power this morning so maybe losing a football game is not so bad.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Bump that, I would rather be in the dark unable to type this than have lost to Georgia Tech but you have to give the Jackets a tip of the cap. They weathered the early onslaught, made adjustments, got momentum and never looked back. The Clemson defense forced two consecutive three and outs to start the game. The offense came out and could only muster a field goal in the first half. Georgia Tech did not take long to make the adjustment up front they needed to make and never looked back.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Georgia Tech took advantage of Clemson’s glaring deficiencies at linebacker. You remember what I said about Tech making defenses, read, get off blocks and tackle? Well Clemson showed that it was not up to the task of playing fundamental defense and got lit up. I also said it would not take much for the once struggling Georgia Tech offense to find some confidence to get on a roll. Simply put, Georgia Tech took it to Clemson and Clemson failed to respond. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From an offensive perspective, Clemson missed Andre Ellington. I was excited to see what DJ Howard could do when it was announced he would start last Thursday. Not to say Howard cannot and will not be a productive back for the Tigers, he just does not have the intangibles and ball security of Andre Ellington. As talented as Mike Bellamy is, the youngster does not have the trust of the coaching staff to be left out there in key moments. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Georgia Tech defense known for being vanilla as a wafer came to life last night. Yellow Jacket defensive coordinator Al Groh dialed a blitz package that would have made Nick Saban smile last night. Once again, Clemson did not have an answer from an execution stand point. Once you are down 24-3, any defensive coordinator can cut it loose from a play calling perspective when they know you have to throw the ball and that is what Georgia Tech did. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You can lose the turnover battle against a team like Maryland and still have a chance. You simply cannot turn the ball over four times, once in the red zone and expect to win against a team of Georgia Tech’s caliber. Running backs cannot fumble and sadly you throw enough passes when the defense knows you have to throw and you are likely to get one or two picked off, it is not a recipe for success. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; All was not lost last night. Sammy Watkins had another big night. The true freshman continues to shine. The young man from Naples, FL had ten catches for 159 yards and a touchdown catch. He was the lone bright spot on a night that Clemson would suffer its first loss of the year.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Do not let the national pundits tell you anything about Clemson pulling a Clemson. It just was not the case, Georgia Tech dictated tempo and won the battle along the line of scrimmage throughout the ball game and that was the difference. As much as the idea of going undefeated was dancing in my head, I think you have to appreciate just how difficult it is to do. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The season is not over for the 2011 Clemson Football team, with Wake Forest’s lost to North Carolina on Saturday, the matchup on November 12 will be for the Atlantic Division Championship. Simply, Clemson defeats Wake Forest and you can book your hotel rooms for Charlotte. The key thing to remember is that all of this team’s goals are still in front of it. Win the Division, Win the State Championship and Win the Conference. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On a negative note, it was reported that the house where quarterback Tajh Boyd lives was egged last night following the game. It has been reported that his family has filed a complaint with the Clemson Police Department. Whoever was involved with this regardless of it were merely Halloween shenanigans or the incident was targeted as a response to the outcome of the game, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. That type of behavior is juvenile and I dare say when the party or parties involved are caught they are likely going to wish they had not been involved with such a sophomoric act.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Clemson heads into the off week and it could not come at a better time. This team is physically and mentally worn out, I strongly believe that time away from the field and each other will do this team a lot of good. I would imagine the team will practice two to three times this week. They will be off for the weekend, which will allow most of them to go home and get away from Clemson. I know that was a hurt locker room last night but I strongly believe that you will see a healthier and rejuvenated team take the field on November 12 Senior Day and the final home game for the 2011 season. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Continue to keep your heads held high. Enjoy a weekend away from football. Though, I am excited to watch the LSU-Alabama game next Saturday night. The dream is still alive and we still have a lot to be excited about!!</div><!--EndFragment-->CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-68592497635131240172011-10-26T15:27:00.006-04:002011-10-26T15:38:28.659-04:00Another Day at the Office…..<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FmXARU_5jOg/TqhfhxodLqI/AAAAAAAAAUM/arU8v3sWJ4s/s1600/IMG_1518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FmXARU_5jOg/TqhfhxodLqI/AAAAAAAAAUM/arU8v3sWJ4s/s320/IMG_1518.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Joe Sherman could not have known the prophetic and transcendent power his words would have on future generations of Tigers when he wrote his essay “Something in these Hills”. I felt that intimate closeness as I entered the upstate of South Carolina last Saturday. I knew I was “home” when the reddest of rednecks started chatting football with me, speaking in barely intelligible southern English about how the NFL was going to come looking at Coach Morris. Maybe it was the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains when you turn onto Fants Grove Road off of Highway 187 heading into Clemson. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Maybe it has to do with the fact that I live 521 miles from the place I have lived longer than another place in my life? Could it have been the anticipation of seeing old friends and reconnecting with people I had not seen in awhile? Or was it the cool crisp fall weather that had cloaked the area prompting the early signs of fall color? It must have been the chance to see the 7-0 Clemson Tigers take on the North Carolina Tar Heels.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">&nbsp;I know most people who did not grow up in the south or have not known me for years have a hard time grasping my love and devotion for my alma mater. It came to a fever pitch the Friday before the Auburn game, when I was brought to tears that I would not be able to travel to Clemson for the Auburn game. At the time I was in need of surgery and was feeling as miserable as I had ever felt but I wanted to be in the one place that could make me forget about everything else….Clemson.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There is always a rush of emotion as I enter the gates at Memorial Stadium, as I walk underneath the stands towards section E. I enter the portal, my heart starts to almost palpitate, I can here the angels beginning to sing, I can see the light leading me towards the Promised Land better known as “Death Valley.” Again, I know there are some who think I am crazy and I probably am but there is no place like home and that is what I felt Saturday as I finally got to see my Tigers play in person at in the friendly confines of Clemson, SC. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It was one of those days where I tried to soak it all in. From the pregame festivities, to watching the Tigers run down the hill, the opening kickoff, half time and the post game singing of the alma mater. What a tremendous day to be alive in Clemson, SC.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the midst of all these emotions was a football game. A game that I was unsure of the outcome heading into the contest. Much had been written and talked about regarding the talent along the North Carolina defensive front seven. I had watched the undermanned 2010 edition of the Tar Heels dominate Clemson in Chapel Hill. I knew and I think the Tar Heel football staff knew they were facing a different animal last Saturday.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It was not all that pretty early on but in typical 2011 Clemson fashion, these guys hung in there. You have to give North Carolina credit, they did a lot of different things especially on defense in an attempt to disrupt the Clemson offense. They played zone and dropped their corners off our receivers, they blitzed, UNC played zero coverage (no safety help, everyone is man to man because you are blitzing the everyone and the kitchen sink), they played quarters (zone defense with defensive backs responsible for ¼ of the field) but nothing worked. The fun part of Saturday is that Coach Morris and the offense had an answer for everything the Tar Heels tried to do and executed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This was not an issue of the stars aligning, it was an issue of being well coached and well prepared for a multitude of situations. It was a thing of beauty to watch. Tajh Boyd threw five touchdown passes to five different receivers in three quarters of play. Wide Receiver DeAndre Hopkins had 151 yards of receiving and a touchdown catch. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The defense was not to be outdone on Saturday. The starters gave up 17 points before third and fourth team guys came at the start of the fourth quarter and gave up two touchdowns. It was good to see guys who we may need down the stretch or in the future get their feet wet for an entire quarter of football.&nbsp; I would be remiss if I did not give a shout out to fifth year senior Kourtnei Brown who scored two touchdowns Saturday, one via interception and the other by fumble recovery. The first time since 1958 a Clemson defensive player had scored multiple touchdowns in a game. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; All was not rosy from the game on Saturday. Clemson’s man based defense continues to be susceptible to the deep ball. Tar Heel quarterback Bryn Renner was able to complete two long touchdown passes against single coverage on Saturday. Clemson continues to miss kickoff specialist Spencer Benton who was lost to a broken collarbone in the Virginia Tech. The short kickoffs coupled with shoddy coverage leads to good field position for the opposition. It goes to say there is never a perfect game and there are always things to improve on.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Tigers are now 8-0 heading into a Saturday night primetime game against Georgia Tech in Atlanta. I do not care that Georgia Tech has lost two in a row, I do not care if their offensive production has taken a hit the last three games, it is Georgia Tech and the games between these two schools have a way of being too close for comfort.&nbsp; 2003 was the last time Clemson defeated the Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium so any delusions of grandeur that the Tigers roll into the ATL and steamroll Georgia Tech is ludicrous. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Offensively this Georgia Tech team set the world on fire to start the season rolling up staggering numbers. The Jackets rolled up 700-plus yards of offense on Kansas. While they have not come close to that type of production in conference games, the explosiveness is in place to where a defensive guy fails to do his job, they are playing the fight song.&nbsp; Georgia Tech has good pieces, Tevin Washington their signal caller is capable of getting the ball to his playmakers on the perimeter. Tech has Stephen Hill a tall receiver who is capable of making plays in the pass game. Orwin Smith who plays a slot back position is a big time playmaker on the ground and through the air.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Georgia Tech makes defenses play football the old fashion way. They do a lot of things to get you out of position or to lull you to sleep and it only takes one guy sleep walking for them to put six on the board quickly. Georgia Tech forces a defense to read, get off blocks, tackle, play with good pursuit and leverage. In today’s age of the spread you see teams utilize more hybrid type athletes to play certain positions to try to maximize speed on the field. What happens against the Yellow Jackets is the guy who has great speed, athleticism, can get sideline to sideline has to play down in the box with linemen and running backs leaning on them and you are asking them to process a lot of information each play, it can get dicey to say the least.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Clemson is going to have to do an exceptional job of playing assignment football. You will hear the term “playing with your eyes” a lot this week. Whatever a defensive player’s key is they have to lock in on that assignment and nothing else or the Yellow Jacket band is going to be playing the fight song a lot of Saturday night.&nbsp; In order for Clemson to be successful they are going to have to win the battle up front. It is simple as that. If Clemson gets pushed around, is not disciplined or fails to tackle, they will be in for a long evening.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Clemson is going to find a motivated, desperate football team similar to the team they found in College Park, MD two weeks ago. Georgia Tech is an offensive football team that has lost its swagger in recent weeks. I assure you, it only takes a few plays for the Yellow Jackets to find their groove and get it going. </div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On the defensive side of the ball, the Yellow Jackets are improving. The transition to the 3-4 defense is not something that takes hold over night. As they get the right personnel and more comfortable with the scheme they have improved their on field performance.&nbsp; This is a Georgia Tech secondary that will go to great lengths to prevent big plays in the pass game. This has left them susceptible to give up yards on the ground at times but this is a blue-collar group who will force you to matriculate the ball down the field.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The kicking game is going to be huge this week. I have talked about some of Clemson’s issues in the kickoff game. Clemson punter Dawson Zimmerman seems prime for getting a punt block given how slow he is on his drop. The Jackets also struggle in various facets of the kicking game and there may be some opportunities for Clemson to take advantage. If I am Clemson and Georgia Tech is lined up to punt. I am playing my base defense I am sure I am identifying where guys are on the field. Tech Coach Paul Johnson is not afraid to call a fake from any point on the field.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This is a game where Clemson has a personnel advantage at a lot of positions but unfortunately the game will not be played on paper. The Yellow Jackets present problems offensively, defensively and special teams. Can Clemson be physical on defense, play assignment football and tackle? Expect Georgia Tech to go deep early and often given our struggles against the deep pass. Can Georgia Tech take Clemson’s vertical passing game away? If they do can Tajh get the ball where it needs to be without turning the ball over? Will we see the run game get going after struggling against North Carolina? I am hearing that Andre Ellington will be limited this week, it may be an opportunity for Mike Bellamy or DJ Howard to step up if Ellington is limited. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Interesting fact in recent history in Georgia Tech-Clemson match ups, close games have been won by the Yellow Jackets, the blowouts have been won by Clemson, we will see if that trend holds on Saturday. Tajh Boyd has to continue to play well, the offensive line that has improved during the course of the season have to play well against the odd front of Georgia Tech. Everyone should expect a four quarter battle in Atlanta, where if Clemson is not on their game, they will suffer their first defeat of the season.</div>CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-41141298329563718332011-10-20T13:16:00.000-04:002011-10-20T13:16:57.506-04:00These boys are special....<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W42xHZzmSHo/TqBXRXTmviI/AAAAAAAAAUA/9uZuYBqjnuY/s1600/PostSportsMD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W42xHZzmSHo/TqBXRXTmviI/AAAAAAAAAUA/9uZuYBqjnuY/s320/PostSportsMD.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It was the of worst of times, it was the best of times. That pretty much sums up the game at Maryland Saturday night. I had grown more confident as the week went on but my worse fears that I had going back to when the game time was originally announced were fulfilled.<span>&nbsp; </span>You saw a desperate Maryland team come out raring to go offensively and a Clemson team that looked like the clock had finally struck twelve.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Despite the questionable opening kickoff return, the Clemson offense went down the field with relatively ease only to settle for a field goal after having the ball inside the three-yard line. Then the wheels promptly seemed to come off the bus. After getting a stop Clemson botched a punt return and gave Maryland the ball inside their ten-yard line and would score a touchdown a few plays later. On the following Clemson offensive possession, Clemson threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>It was 14-3 Maryland and many Clemson fans were thinking this ain’t good. Clemson would find itself down 28-10 at one point in the first half before cutting the lead to 28-17 with two minutes before halftime. At this point it was apparent the offense was starting to find itself. Tajh Boyd who had looked like a dumpster fire early on, had settled down and there was a sense that the only team that could stop the Clemson offense was the Clemson offense.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>The turning point for me was when Maryland got the ball after Clemson had cut the lead to 28-17. If you remember the Terps quarterback, CJ Brown had gone up and down the field with ease throughout the first half. Despite getting the ball deep in Clemson territory, if I was the Maryland Head Coach, I have to try to get points before half. I understood his thinking, Maryland got the ball to start the second half no need to risk it. Maybe under ordinary circumstances I would agree.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>It was clear, however that Maryland was going to need all the points it could get if they were going to pull off the upset. At that point momentum had shifted towards the guys in orange, I thought Coach Edsall and offensive coordinator Gary Crowton would be more aggressive before the half. One run up the middle and a quarterback kneel and it was halftime. It was apparent to me and a lot of Clemson fans that Randy Edsall knew he was the luckiest man on the planet. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>You have to give Maryland credit they came out and started the second half by going down the field and scoring a touchdown like the Clemson scout team defense was on the field. It was 35-17 yet most Clemson fans in the stands felt like there was too much football remaining and were confident this team would respond.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>And boy did this team respond. The Tigers outscored Maryland 39-17 in the second half. The defense finally came up with a few stops when we had to have them. I have to admit, I was the only Clemson fan on the planet who was pissed off when Sammy Watkins went 89 yards on a kickoff return. Maryland had just scored and we were about to put a tired defense right back on the field against a Terrapin offense that had shown it could sustain drives. At that point I wanted to see Clemson sustain a drive, run some clock and take the lead. Good thing for Clemson the defense came up with a huge stop and several plays later Andre Ellington sealed the win for the Tigers with a 44-yard touchdown run.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Speaking of Andre Ellington, can the boy get some love? The junior from Moncks Corner, SC ran for 212 yards and 2 touchdowns Saturday night.<span>&nbsp; </span>Let that marinate for a minute. Andre Ellington rushed for over 200 yards in a game and no one is talking about it. CJ Spiller was the last Clemson back to rush for over 200 yards when he ran for 233 yards against Georgia Tech in 2009. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>I love Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins, Dwayne Allen and Tajh Boyd but Clemson had a running back rush for over 200 yards in a football game and that needs to be recognized. Credit needs to be given to the offensive line that asserted its will on the Maryland defense throughout the game. It was fun watching Ellington look like his old self, gracefully gutting the Terrapin defense.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Ladies and Gentlemen, this Clemson team is special. I have been to Byrd Stadium more times than I would like to admit and seen Clemson teams embarrass themselves. It looked like they were on their way to another disappointing crash landing in College Park last Saturday. This team was not going to be denied. Overcoming two 18-point deficits to ultimately win by 11 points is no small feat. I saw a team show no panic and poise in a tough situation. We know how previous teams would have responded.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>To go on the road and weather the storm like they did is something special. There is no other way today say it. You look back and you see teams who have special seasons and there is always a game or two where they are forced to respond during a less than stellar performance. This team persevered and was able to improve its record to 7-0.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>In come the Tar Heels from Chapel Hill for a noon kickoff at Death Valley. The trials and tribulations of the North Carolina football program have been well documented over the past two years. The biggest surprise came a week before fall camp started when then Head Coach Butch Davis was relieved of his duties.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>The Heels come into the game on Saturday with a 5-2 record with losses to Georgia Tech and Miami. Last week the Tar Heels fell behind early and saw their comeback bid fall short in the closing seconds. This is a team with good players, many who were recruited by Clemson, including Tar Heel receiver Dwight Jones who was once committed to Clemson but was told he would not earn admissions to Clemson and signed with North Carolina. Yes, try to figure that one out.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>North Carolina is led by Springfield, VA native Bryn Renner who has had a nice year through seven games, completing 75% of passes. Freshman running back Giovani Bernard comes into the contest on Saturday having rushed for at least 100 yards in the last five games. You couple that with Dwight Jones who is slightly ahead of Sammy Watkins in receiving statistics, the Clemson defense will have their hands full on Saturday. They are not flashy, but they are content executing their offense and taking their shots down the field when appropriate. The Tar Heel offensive line is huge averaging 320 pounds across the front, they also are experienced. Clemson is going to have to play well to have chance to slow down the efficient North Carolina offense. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>The UNC defense comes into Death Valley yielding only 109 yards of rushing offense per game. The Tar Heel defense is led by linebacker Zach Brown and defensive end Quinton Coples who is a sure first early round NFL draft pick.<span>&nbsp; </span>Things are not so rosy in the North Carolina secondary where the Tar Heels are giving up 250 yards through the air per contest. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>There will be opportunities to make plays through the air and the Tigers will have to run it enough to win against a solid UNC team. I expect the game to be a close contest. North Carolina is certain to take their shots deep throughout the game on Saturday. Slowing down the running back Bernard is going to be important in slowing down the Carolina play action pass game.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>The Tigers can’t sleep walk this week. Another slow start coupled with a fast start by Carolina could prove costly. I do not think the Clemson faithful will allow that this week. There is an article circulating quoting UNC quarterback Bryn Renner talking about <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/rapid-reports/post/15757394">Death Valley</a> as being no worse than ECU. Bless is Northern Virginia heart. I think Mr. Renner has provided the juice Clemson fans needed as noon approaches on Saturday.</div><!--EndFragment-->CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-55411664729194689852011-10-16T07:45:00.000-04:002011-10-16T07:45:29.180-04:006 and Oh $^%$ (For Full Disclosure)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">****I had to post this blog first before moving on for full disclosure purposes. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Clemson nation’s hearts suffered collective palpitations half way through the third quarter on Saturday as they watched starting quarterback Tajh Boyd laying on the ground after being hit in the lower left leg. As the replays began to play those palpitations turned into utter dismay then to anger. Lets face it my world was crashing in on me quickly. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>In came Cole Stoudt a true freshman from Dublin, OH. No that is not a typo, the backup quarterback at Clemson is from Dublin, OH located outside of Columbus. While the game was continuing, most Clemson fans were setting their hopes and dreams on fire. On Stoudt’s first play he fired an incomplete pass to Dwayne Allen and Clemson ended up settling for a field goal.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Fast forwarding to today and having time as perspective, Cole Stoudt was thrown into a precarious situation down on the three yard line going in to score and then coming off the two yard line just a mere 98 yards from the goal line. He did not let the moment completely overwhelm him. You could see in his eyes that he was not caught up in the moment and yes Coach Morris was not going to put the youngster in a bad situation but he led this team on three scoring drives to seal a game that felt very much in doubt there for awhile. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>In the midst of the Boyd injury and hearing maybe it was not as bad as most had feared what got lost is that Clemson is 6-0. This is a program that only won 6 games all of last year. Remember this is a team that many people had 3-3 at this point based on preseason prognostications, luckily for us games are played on the field and not on paper. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Now here comes Maryland. A lot of talking heads have been talking about a Clemson let down, people are waiting on baited breath to say, “I told you so,” when talking about the 2011 Clemson football team. In all seriousness this is the week I think Clemson fans need to be concerned. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Full disclosure, I loathe the University of Maryland. I loathe College Park, MD, I despise Terp fans, Byrd Stadium is more awkward looking than Billy Brice Stadium in Columbia. I have no use for Maryland.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>All that said this game Saturday scares the heck out of me. It scared the heck out of me when they announce the 7 o’clock game time two weeks ago long before Tajh Boyd was writhing in pain on the field of Frank Howard Field. Maryland is one of those teams that seemingly puts a good performance together against Clemson. Now a lot of that had to do with Ralph Friedgen who disliked Clemson as much as I dislike my feathered colleagues from Columbia. The Big Man always had a great plan for Clemson and won a lot of games against the Tigers during his tenure.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Fortunately, for Clemson fans Coach Friedgen was fired after last season after leading the Terps to their best season in years and winning ACC Coach of the Year. In comes former UCONN coach Rand Edsall and the transition has been more turbulent than most would have thought given what Maryland was returning. The Terps played a depleted<span>&nbsp; </span>(suspensions) Miami team on Labor Day night in a game where their uniforms made more news in the D.C. area than their win over Miami.<span>&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Maryland comes into this week with a 2-3 record with wins over Miami and Towson. The hardshells were manhandled by Temple, came up short late against West Virginia and hung in there with Georgia Tech. The message from the Maryland coaching staff is that they are close to putting it all together. More importantly Maryland is hosting the eighth ranked team in the nation coming into their house in primetime.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>I just do not feel good about this one. There is no logic behind my feelings. The reality remains Clemson is better than Maryland but that does not always to translate on the field. The longer the win streak goes on the more nervous I get earlier in the week. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>I talked to a friend earlier this week and he reminded me “film doesn’t lie.” When you watch this Clemson team on film they can beat you in a lot of different ways. It is not merely stopping one guy and you win. If you decide that Sammy Watkins is not going to beat you, you better have a plan for Dwayne Allen, Jaron Brown, Andre Ellington and Mike Bellamy. That is enough to keep a defensive coordinator up late when they are trying to prepare for this football team. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>On the other side of the ball, the Clemson defensive front has started to come into their own. Led by senior Brandon Thompson, the Clemson defensive line has really come up big for this team as the season has progressed with big stops at key moments. This will continue Saturday in College Park. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>The weather here in the DC area is supposed to be cool and windy Saturday evening. The kicking game is going to have to be spot on. You could tell this team missed Spencer Benton last week with the short kickoffs. Clemson cannot give Maryland any cheap ones. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>There are questions at Maryland on who will start at quarterback for the Terrapins Saturday. Reigning ACC Freshman of the Year Danny O’brien was replaced in last week’s game against Georgia Tech by Sophomore CJ Wilson who led the Terps on a second half come back that came up short in a 21-16 loss to the Yellow Jackets. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>O’brien is by far the better passer though he has struggled in recent weeks after playing well in the first two weeks of the year. Wilson is the better runner of the two and demonstrated those attributes on a 77-yard touchdown run last week in Atlanta. It will be interesting to see who Coach Edsall goes with. I would not be surprised if you see both quarterbacks play. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Clemson fans need to familiarize themselves with Terrapin defensive tackle Joe Vellano, quarterbacks Scott O’brien and CJ Wilson, running back Davin Megget, and South Carolina native Ronnie Tyler. Vellano had 20 tackles last week against Georgia Tech, defensive tackles do not have 20 tackles in a game without playing with great effort. Megget is capable if he gets going, Tyler is a legit deep threat for Maryland. They have athletes who can play so Clemson has to show up and play well if they are going to win on Saturday. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>When the dust clears I do think Clemson’s offensive pace and defense gets the Tigers out of College Park with a win but I think it is closer than the experts think.</div><!--EndFragment-->CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-46537550046513882212011-10-05T17:53:00.002-04:002011-10-05T21:17:39.487-04:00Setting the tone.....<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What a turn of events experienced by Clemson fans since the last time I wrote. The Tigers showed true mettle against a scrappy Florida State team and did what many thought was unthinkable, and went to Blacksburg in a cold rain and defeated the defending ACC Champions 23-3.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Now here we are October 2011 and the Clemson Tigers are 5-0 heading into their second division game as Boston College comes to Clemson Saturday on Homecoming. I am tickled to death about what this team has accomplished up to this point. The key phrase is “up to this point”. I have tuned into the talk shows on <a href="http://www.wccpfm.com/">WCCP</a> and I have seen the love Clemson has been getting on ESPN. Friends, we are a mere five-games into a twelve game season. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I could not be more excited about being ranked in the Top 10 nationally, it excites me to see my alma mater talked about on ESPN and on other national shows but trophies are not awarded after five games. I swell with pride every time I see the paw displayed on the screen or hear media types like Jack Arute, Bill King and Mike Leach talk about Clemson on their respective nationally syndicated shows but the war has not yet been won.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Never in a million years did I see this team going through the past three games undefeated. There cannot be very many well reasoned individuals who on September 2, 2011 who could have convinced me that this team would go 3-0 against Auburn, Florida State and Virginia Tech. In fact I wrote a long and emotional email to my father prior to the season cautioning expectations, how Coach Swinney did not need to be on the hot seat regardless of the results of the last three games in September. Most know now that 42 of the 85 scholarship players on the Clemson roster are either redshirt or true freshmen. No one likes to hear about a coach having a young team but it could not be truer when examining the Clemson roster.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the same email I sought to temper Signing Day zeal by reminding my father that people need to realize that the recent additions to the Clemson Football family were in the midst of making a significant life transition of which football is merely a small part of the puzzle. I went on to write about the need for leadership within IPTAY and the Athletic Department not to get caught up in the whims of fans and stay the course given what the new additions could do in the future, not this season. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I have to admit that I was wrong about this team, about some of these freshmen, about how quickly this team would gel. &nbsp;There was nothing in the last decade that could have given me or any other realistic Clemson fan an inkling that the 2011 team would come out of the gate in spectacular fashion. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The big three game gauntlet is now over. If you are a Clemson fan, the words Boston College should cause you to feel a nauseous feeling in your stomach. Since joining the ACC 2005 Boston College has caused much consternation and heartbreak among Clemson fans. Boston College holds a 4-2 advantage over Clemson since 2005. I do not find it necessary to rehash the overtime losses and the disappointment back in 2007 and the empty feeling I experienced leaving Alumni Stadium last fall. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That all being said the 2011 Boston College football team is bad. The Eagles are 1-4 on the year and have struggled offensively missing All-ACC running back Montel Harris early in the season. Harris is back and has run the ball well but the Eagles have failed to find their stride with sophomore quarterback Chase Rettig under center. Boston College has suffered losses to Northwestern, Central Florida, Duke and Wake Forest. Sounds like a perfect recipe for a Clemson nuclear meltdown on Saturday.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You can say what you want about Boston College, you can talk about their stadium, their talent, their fans or lack their of but, the Eagles have been a thorn in the side of Clemson since the day they joined the ACC. For any Clemson fan to be “looking ahead” is silly. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; This is not an attempt&nbsp;to diminish what Clemson has accomplished on the football field during the last three weeks but, the season started Saturday after the Virginia Tech game. Hate to rain on the Clemson parade but it is easy to get excited about playing the defending National Champions from Clemson without a lake, it is easy to get excited about Florida State, there is no lack of motivation going on the road playing a team that has beaten you five straight times. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; How does this team handle itself going into a game where they are favored by three touchdowns? How does this team perform when they have a clear personnel advantage at almost every position? Can this team come out and take care of business or will they come out Saturday thinking they can just show up and find themselves in a dogfight?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Saturday will set the tone for the rest of the season. If this Clemson team can come out and deliver a solid performance and leave no doubt that they are the better team it will go a long way in determining how far this team can go. If this team comes out sloppy, missing tackles, dropping passes, unable to block, turning the ball over and missing kicks, Clemson will be facing a repeat of their 2010 trip to Chestnut Hill. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There has been a lot of talk on message boards and talk shows on how this Clemson team could go undefeated. I remind you that Clemson still has Boston College, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, North Carolina State and South Carolina left to play. North Carolina State is the only team on the remaining schedule that Clemson has beaten on a consistent basis in the last several years.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the same way David Wilson the running back from Virginia Tech got his yards during the game last week, I think Montel Harris will do the same thing. You have to give the young man his due. He was a high school teammate of former Clemson running back Jamie Harper. Harris can play and will be a focal point for the Eagles offense and Clemson defense.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On the other side of the ball Clemson fans will get a chance to see the best defensive player in the Atlantic Coast Conference in Boston College linebacker <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/stats/_/id/480673/luke-kuechly">Luke Kuechly</a>. He is on pace to shatter the ACC tackle record and he is only a junior. Absent from the Eagles’ defense are space eaters like <a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12447/bj-raji">B.J. Raji</a>. There is a lot of youth in the secondary and Clemson should be able to take advantage of the inexperience and mismatches Boston College presents. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Reiterating my earlier thoughts, Boston College is good enough to beat Clemson if the Tigers show up on Saturday thinking that they are on a coronation tour to Charlotte. Fans do not need to get complacent and come to the Valley on Saturday thinking that they are in for Saturday afternoon mingle at the Polo Grounds.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">&nbsp;It is incumbent upon this staff to keep the pressure on the team to prepare for Boston College and Boston College only. Fans can sit around and pontificate but they better head to Clemson with their minds right that Boston College is coming into Clemson not intimidated in the least. I assure you they do not give a rip about Clemson’s previous opponents or that the guys on the other side of the ball have won five games. They know that history says if they play their game, they have an excellent chance of coming out with a win when the clock hits 0:00.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The talk and the media attention is nice but there is a game to be played on Saturday and the tone for the second half of the season starts with Clemson coming out and performing well against Boston College.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">******9:15 p.m. October 5, 2011 Per the Boston Herald Boston College Running Back Montel Harris will miss the Clemson game.******</span></div>CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-19625792040288332012011-09-25T20:50:00.001-04:002011-09-25T22:17:32.205-04:00Role Reversal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OZlpLuM0mLk/Tn_gqv51l_I/AAAAAAAAAKc/6o1nEdN3bQI/s1600/Scoreboardfsu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OZlpLuM0mLk/Tn_gqv51l_I/AAAAAAAAAKc/6o1nEdN3bQI/s320/Scoreboardfsu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;There are not many Clemson fans out there who would have told you September 2, 2011 that this football would be 4-0 heading into a marquee battle against Virginia Tech. The events of the last two weeks have been experiences many Clemson fans have been longing for since the late 80s, early 90s. The Auburn game was a surreal experience, to watch a Clemson team get down early, then crawl their way back, score when they had to, respond after a turnover and then seal the game by executing on third down late in the 4<sup>th</sup> quarter. Many like myself must have been doing double takes as they watched a Clemson team roll up 624 yards of total offense against a SEC opponent. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There have been many detractors and people from the outside providing their two cents on the remarkable two game stretch this Clemson team has been on but they do not have a clue what orange blooded Clemson fans have been through in the last 20 years. Clemson is a program that prides itself on tradition and winning at a high level but lets face it, it has been a long time since Clemson has put together impressive performances like we have seen in the last two weeks. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When is the last time you have seen a Clemson offense come out and pick things up for a defense that is struggling? Even the in “glory” days, Clemson was not setting offensive scoring or yardage records. Clemson teams were built with dominant defenses coupled with adequate offenses charged with making enough plays without turning the ball over to win games. For a decade it proved quite a formula for success. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Fast forward 20 years and here we are watching a Clemson offense led by an offensive coordinator who was coaching football two years ago averaging 505 yards of offense per contest. I do not need to remind Clemson fans of the missed opportunities, the play here and there, the simple short yard conversion, and dropped passes that have plagued this program. It is with this in mind that outsiders and experts must excuse us because the whole “act like you’ve been there” thing does not apply because half of the young men on our football team were not born the last time we won a conference title. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Who ever thought that they would live to see a day where Clemson University was winning with cascades of offense and just enough defense? This Clemson fan could not. That is not how we roll here at Clemson. Clemson has always prided itself on having solid to dominant defense. This phenomenon is substantiated by the number of defensive players the program has put into the NFL throughout the last 30 years. Until recently, it was hard to find an offensive star from Clemson University on an NFL roster.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I do not know how to sum up what Clemson fans have witnessed during the first four weeks of the 2011. I have tweeted several times during the course of games that if this is a dream, I do not want to wake up because I am enjoying this way too much.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lest we forget there were vocal segments of Tiger Nation who were not enamored with the hire of a man who had spent one year coaching on the collegiate level and prior to his foray into college was coaching high school football. Their disdain, coupled with the concerns of more optimistic fans grew back in April after an less than stellar performance by then anointed starting quarterback Tajh Boyd in the Spring Game. I realize that Spring Games are meaningless but even I was hoping to see improved quarterback play given what we had seen late in the 2010 season. Off-season reports and early season practice tidbits indicated a transformation had taken place. After a shaky start, Tajh Boyd has led a group of youngsters to record setting performances and to consecutive home wins against ranked opponents, something that has never be done in school history.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I am as excited as anyone about what this team has accomplished during the first four games but now is not the time to start looking at polls, booking hotel rooms for Charlotte or Miami or having delusions of beating the Gamecocks. It is a time to continue to support this team as 5 of their 8 remaining games will be on the road. We are aware of the up coming trip to Blacksburg, but there are trips to College Park, Atlanta, Raleigh, and Columbia. It does not get easier with thorns Boston College, UNC and Wake Forest coming to Clemson to close out the season. This team seems to be giving fans a reason to go "ALL IN" lets enjoy the ride!!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The important takeaway for this team and for fans is to continue to focus on the task at hand. This week it is the Virginia Tech Hokies. The reigning ACC Champions will welcome Clemson into Lane Stadium for a 6 pm kick in what will be Tajh Boyd’s first career start. It will mark the first time Sammy Watkins, Charone Peake, Martavis Bryant, Mike Bellamy and other first year players play in the most hostile road environment in the ACC outside of Clemson. Will the clock finally strike midnight? Hard to say but if four games are any indication, this team will be prepared and will battle till they tell them they have to leave the field. Regardless of what happens on Saturday, the journey has just begun not only for the 2011 team but for this program.</div>CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-12619110155572202372011-08-31T10:06:00.003-04:002011-08-31T10:11:04.275-04:00Low man wins......<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FrDEOlDdFWU/Tl5A3jv4wHI/AAAAAAAAAI4/K5PcvQFHcC0/s1600/IMG_0124.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FrDEOlDdFWU/Tl5A3jv4wHI/AAAAAAAAAI4/K5PcvQFHcC0/s320/IMG_0124.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647022306002255986" /></a>
<br /> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">There comes a point during the dog days of summer as we inch closer to the beginning of the season where many fans hang on any information that is not hypothetical semantics. By this point If…then statements are integral parts of conversations when trying to size up the upcoming fall. I came across an article written by Charleston Post and Courier reporter and Clemson beat writer <a href="http://www.thestate.com/2011/07/31/1918171/offense-centers-on-freeman.html">Travis Sawchick</a> on Clemson center Dalton Freeman that provided a confirmation and a glimmer of hope.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Given the attention we give to recruiting classes, starting quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, linebackers, corners, it is easy for the big uglies along the offensive line to get lost in the shuffle. This article is one I would imagine many people would likely to gloss over due to the mundane nature of offensive line play. Clemson’s line play during the past 13 seasons has often left something to be desired. I can recall early in Tommy Bowden‘s tenure when the line was under the tutelage of Ron West that we saw the offensive line play football the way it is meant to be played. Many Tiger fans will remember the 2006 season and the line that included Nathan Bennett, Dustin Fry and Roman Fry. Lets be frank with each other, the offensive line at Clemson has been soft as a baby’s bottom for quite some time now.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have been screaming from the rafters about this for sometime. I assure you folks in Section E in Death Valley can vouch for my meltdowns along with people who have had the pleasure of being around me at road games. How many times have we watched Clemson offenses stumble in 3<sup>rd</sup> and short situations?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>The most sickening moment that stands out in my mind was the 2004 game against Georgia Tech. It had been a typical Clemson-Georgia Tech slugfest that found the Tigers up by less than a touchdown with under five minutes to go. Tech had punted and all Clemson had to do was get one first down and game over. North Augusta product Reggie Meriwether gains 9 yards easy on first down. Everyone in the stadium was feeling good. 2<sup>nd</sup> and 1, this is all but a formality right? In the words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend”. 2<sup>nd</sup> and 1 out of a tight formation Clemson hands off up the middle and the running back is stuffed for a short gain. Ok, give the Tech defense credit they bowed up and made a stand but 3<sup>rd</sup> and less than 1, no problem. We get the first down, I am on my way back to Atlanta to gloat at church with my orange tie on. 3<sup>rd</sup> and 1, I am squirming in the stands like I usually do but still confident that I will be able to exhale and we will all go home happy. The quarterback hands off to the running back and he is stuffed for a short loss. It is now 4<sup>th</sup> down, deep in our own territory and we have to punt. In a matter of 2 plays the crowd went from near jubilation to having their rectal area puckered. Remember Clemson had 2<sup>nd</sup> and 1 with an opportunity to seal the game and could not convert. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">My good friend <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/jeffbaltes">@jeffbaltes</a> knows what ensued on 4<sup>th</sup> down and Tech’s first play from scrimmage. On a side note he has a wonderful story about that game and the closing moments of that infamous game that you should ask him about.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It is moments like 2004 Georgia Tech that stick in the craw of Clemson fans. While the instances escape me. The frustration of not being able to sustain drives, being able to convert in key situations however does not. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">There is a quote in Sawchick’s article where Dalton Freeman makes an important statement regarding new offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell. It is a quote that if you know the game of football or watched Clemson play over the last 15 years, you might set yourself on fire. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Freeman says in reference to Caldwell<i>, “He’s a real old-school type of coach. Coach Scott was very detailed; he was into some of the more modern techniques as far as (angle blocking) and getting the right hand placement”</i>. Freeman continues, <i>“Coach Caldwell is more old-school: straight off the ball, hit them in the mouth and knock them out.”</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This confirms the realness of the Twilight Zone that Clemson fans have been living through since the departure of Rich Rodriguez is that we have been <b>SOFT</b> along the offensive front. That softness hit a fever pitch when the offense was under the leadership of Rob Spence. We were the softest, most poorly coached zone blocking team in the nation. I still have nightmares of watching Clemson offensive linemen twisting one direction, while either catching a defender as he drives them back into the backfield or knifing through the gap created and making a play in the backfield. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">You cannot play paddy cake on any level of football, especially FBS football. We have been subjected to rhetoric year after year from the head coach. I could give a presser right now, “This team needs to get tougher” a coach continues, “we are working on becoming a more physical football team.” With all due respect, you ain’t worried about being tough or physical when you are worried about taking the right steps and your hand placement. I do know enough about football that you have to play with good feet and excellent handwork but you know what I am talking about. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We are in an era of the spread offense, where so much attention is given to skill players but there is a timeless aspect of the game that has not changed and will never change and that is the team who is able to control the line of scrimmage is going to win the football game. It does not matter what type of offense you run, it all starts upfront, you can have the perfect play called but if your line cannot hold up, you never have a chance. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Go back to the national title game last year. All the attention was given to the Oregon offense but when it came to game time Auburn won the ball game with their play along both lines. Go back and watch Clemson games from the past few years, when they were successful they were winning the battle up front more often than not.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Folks football is the simplest game on the planet. You have to have a bunch of mean SOBs along your offensive line who fire off the football and change the line of scrimmage in the offense’s favor. Find me a team who won a championship with suspect line play. Crickets….Crickets….Crickets. You will not find one.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I am cautiously optimistic that under Coach Caldwell’s tutelage that we will see the more physical line play that we have been longing for. This is a team with a lot of experience returning along the offensive line, they have been through the ups and downs, they seem to have taken to this new offense. Rhetorically they have bought into Coach Caldwell’s way of doing things now it is time to do it against someone in a different jersey.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We can talk all we want about the new scheme being implemented by Coach Morris but much of the success and failure we will have early on will come from the play of the offensive line and their ability to create holes for our running backs and keep Tajh Boyd upright. It is just that simple. I will be focusing on our line play as we tee things up on Saturday. Remember when Andre Ellington breaks a long run or Dwayne Allen hauls in a long pass, it all started with the big uglies up front.</p> <!--EndFragment-->CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-56904595544152249112011-08-30T09:57:00.003-04:002011-08-30T10:00:06.141-04:00No Thank You...... <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" >I had just spent a few days in Atlanta attending the PGA Championship when the talk of conference expansion had crept back into the conscience of college football fans. This time it was Texas A&amp;M seeking membership to the Southeastern Conference. If you want to fill time on message boards, radio shows, twitter feeds, facebook statuses, mention conference realignment and you will set off a frenzy.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>I remember stepping off the plane at Reagan Airport where I was a greeted with a ESPN breaking news text that Texas A&amp;M was moving to the SEC and that Missouri, Florida State and Clemson were likely to follow.<span> </span>I was excited and nervous at the same time. Lets not BS, I was pumped!!! Trips to the Swamp, playing Georgia every year, the South Carolina game would become a conference game, trips every now and then to Tiger Stadium, a trip to the Grove were all dancing through my head. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>Being the irrational fan that we all tend to be, I began contriving just how Clemson could make it to Atlanta and how awesome it would be to watch my Tigers run onto the field to take on a Western Division foe for a chance for a trip to the Sugar Bowl or National Title game. I was quickly awakened from my drunken like stupor when I allowed an ounce of reality creep into my delusions of grandeur. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>I have gone back and forth about how a potential move to the SEC would impact Clemson football. The trips to SEC venues would be fun. I have be real, if think life is frustrating during the fall as a member of the ACC, having not won an ACC Title since 1991, finding my team missing the ACC Championship Game countless years by one game, life in the SEC is not going to be much better. Overnight Clemson goes from being in the conversation to Mississippi State and Ole Miss overnight. Mississippi State had a nice run in the 90s but paid dearly for it with probation and Ole Miss with Eli Manning under center was unable to knock down the door to the SEC title game. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>Another factor most Clemson fans forget about is the 10 plus year drive by the current president and administration at Clemson towards a goal of reaching Top 20 status as a public institution. Clemson fans who follow recruiting will remember Dwight Jones and Jheraine Boyd being one time Clemson commits but ending up at UNC because they would have not have been granted admission to Clemson. You see where I am going with this.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>Speaking of our Tar Heel comrades, I came across an <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/08/20/2542439/unc-austin-transcript-questions.html">article</a> found on the Charlotte Observer website that brought to light the lengths our friends in Chapel Hill were taking in an effort to win big in football. I will let you read the article to get all the gory details but it turns out that former Tar Heel defensive tackle Marvin Austin, yes the guy who was at the center of the agent scandal, was enrolled in a 400-level African American Studies seminar class during his first summer at UNC. The article notes that Austin’s alleged score on the SAT writing section required him to enroll in a remedial writing class before proceeding with further class work. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>As most know, 400-level course work entails upper level study, that often includes extensive reading and writing assignments. At the University of North Carolina a “student” who needed remedial writing was enrolled in a seminar level course? The same University of North Carolina that loves to flaunt its self proclaimed academic supremacy allowed its academic pedigree to be sold to the devil in the name of winning?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>I will be the first one to tell you that I want to win as much as any one. I will tell you that under no circumstances should a student-athlete be admitted to the University of North Carolina and not Clemson. Under no circumstances should any freshman let alone one with the apparent academic deficiencies of those comparable to those demonstrated by Austin be enrolled as a first time university student in a 400-level class.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>According to the article Austin went on to earn a B+ in the class. For real? While by the time I was an upper classman taking upper level seminar courses in my interest areas were relatively easy in that I was able to do well because I had a genuine interest for the subject matter but more importantly I had developed the high level thinking and writing skills necessary to demonstrate proficiency in the class. Two takeaways, I was an upper classman and had developed the skills and knowledge to complete the class while maintaining academic integrity.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>I am not accusing Austin of cheating but I am calling the University of North Carolina administration to task in allowing this to happen. It is this article that sealed my opinion on any move to the SEC. Not no but HECK NO!! </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>I am not carrying water for President Barker. I will leave my thoughts on him for another day. However, to compete in the SEC. This is the type of stuff that goes on likely on a systemic level with football players and other athletes. I get it, many student athletes are granted admissions to institutions they would not otherwise be granted admissions if it were not for their superior athletic prowess. <span> </span>However, you cross the line when you completely jeopardize the academic integrity of an institution by enrolling a student in a course that if graded as typical student he or she would likely fail miserably is just wrong.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>Yes, I am envious of the SEC with their on the field success. But SEC schools are running borderline prostitution rings in their football programs in the name of winning. Apparently, the some of our ACC colleagues were trying to model themselves after the SEC in the name of victories. I know wins in football can prove lucrative for an institution and I want to win as much as anybody but not at the cost of another human being. My perspective after spending time on the inside of a D1 football program is different, I see college athletes as human beings, not mercenaries who are forgotten when their eligibility is up. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>Clemson has a lot of be proud of with the advent of Vickery Hall and the academic support it offers athletes. Clemson’s APR and graduation rates have been in the upper third of the ACC and the nation. Somewhere within the halls of the Clemson administration they see athletes as people who will ultimately, “go pro in something else other than sports.” In order to be competitive Clemson would have to take steps that would greatly undermine the integrity of the university with practices similar to those taken by UNC and likely a step further with the creation of jock majors. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>Maybe I am getting older but I am just not comfortable with that reality. As long as the ACC maintains a BCS automatic birth and the conference remains moderately viable to the point where Clemson is able to recruit and graduate upper echelon athletes, I am ok with remaining in the ACC. The ACC remains winnable and I believe real steps have been taken to make Clemson a viable competitor within the conference for the next several years. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span> </span>I just cannot support a move to the SEC. I can’t sign off on having my degree put in jeopardy because of a game. Maybe other institutions are comfortable with such a move but I am not.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>Disclaimer: I am not fully aware of the current class enrollment polices at Clemson for student athletes. If I were to become aware of such practices as noted in the Charlotte Observer article, I would be sure to reevaluate my status as a financial supporter of Clemson and IPTAY. I would bring such practices to the public light. I also realize that any invite to the SEC for Clemson would likely be blocked by South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.</i></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-63651580819204714822011-08-09T19:38:00.004-04:002011-08-09T20:30:59.519-04:00Let's see how this plays out......<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q_qLFzf-xKU/TkHM2_KtwLI/AAAAAAAAAIw/QdHIpFlmYuE/s1600/IMG_0067.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q_qLFzf-xKU/TkHM2_KtwLI/AAAAAAAAAIw/QdHIpFlmYuE/s320/IMG_0067.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639013453485949106" /></a>
<br />I am going to attempt to be better about writing more often this season. This follows the privilege to do some writing leading up to this upcoming season from a buddy on twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/hokieguru">@hokieguru</a>. It has my juices flowing again and I love sharing my thoughts and opinions on my favorite sport in the world.<div>
<br /></div><div>Now on to the good stuff.....I read a blog written by Scott Rhymer who hosts the Tiger Pregame Show on August 6 (<a href="http://tigerpregameshow.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tigerpregameshow.<wbr>blogspot.com/</a>) regarding the new media policies being implemented by Coach Swinney with regard to the football program. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Some of the highlights of the new media policy include:</div><div>
<br /></div><div>* No in-depth one-on-one interviews with local media</div><div>
<br /></div><div>* Only coordinators will be made available to the media.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>* Freshmen will not be available to the media until after the first game</div><div>
<br /></div><div>* Graduate Assistants, Strength Coaches, Player Development Staff will not be available at any time.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>* National Media is able to call the SID Office and sign up for an in-depth interview.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>As one might expect, the changes prompted some terse responses, especially by the folks who cover Clemson football on the local level. To an extent I fully understand the frustration of the local media members. I tune into WCCP and always enjoy hearing from the coaching staff and other members of the Clemson athletic department as much as anybody. I too was concerned about the content that would be available. Would there be content available that would warrant my continued subscription to pay sites? Would the content released from the Clemson AD be so vague that it raised more questions than answers?</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I can say three practices into Fall Camp 2011 that there is still plenty of good content out there about what is going on with Clemson Football. I am not looking to end any subscriptions. I am probably in the minority in this in that I am becoming more and more fascinated with Coach Swinney's more centralized approach to media relations. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>I have to preface my comments to say I was a communications major and I worked in politics in Washington, D.C. for a little over two years so I have an intimate understanding of the strategy of one message, one voice. The fewer people talking the better. Sadly, the actions taken by Coach Swinney are largely a response to the technology age we live in....I am not sure what people want. We live in the 24 hour news cycle. Nothing happens in secret anymore and there are people out there lurking for someone to say something that can create a story. We have seen lately stories take a life of their own, I can understand when programs take a hard look at media access and messaging.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>By writing this blog I do not proclaim to be a member of the media. I do not foresee myself trying to turn this into a press pass. I like so many people, like to engage in conversation about a game I love very much and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to air those thoughts. I made the comment to someone recently, I cannot stand the stupid questions asked by many members of the media. So asking stupid questions for a living is probably not in my future. I do not know how many coaches, athletes and officials do not lose their minds more often given the juvenille and pestering questions presented by journalists. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Back to the task at hand...this is a Clemson football program that has brought about much consternation to many over the last 20 years. At one point it was the facilities, it was recruiting, it was one play away, it was coaching, it was the fans, it always has been something with Clemson football. In a time period that saw Wake Forest jump up and win the ACC, Clemson fans, coaches, administrators have been left scratching their head and left saying at the end of the season, "How in the hell did we lose to those guys?" This comes as we are watching another Atlantic Division foe take the field in the ACC Championship game where Clemson is left sitting at home often due to a loss to an inferior conference opponent during the season.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Here we are in 2011. Still no ACC title, Clemson does have improved facilities, recruiting is as good as it has been since the beginning of the 85 scholarship rule, fan support is still good, Clemson is spending big money on its coaching staff, maybe a change in media access is the missing link to Clemson winning its first ACC Title since 1991?</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Probably not.....Lets not forget Clemson went 6-7 last year. The energy surrounding the Clemson football program hit an all time low in late December after a dissappointing loss to USF in the bowl game. Feelings began to change upon the firing of OC Billy Napier, RB Coach Andre Powell and the retirement of OL Coach Brad Scott. The addition of Chad Morris, Tony Elliot, and Robbie Caldwell changed the morale of the Tiger faithful almost overnight. The return of Marion Hobby was also big after Chris Rumph left for Alabama. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>In the wake of all these changes a full review on how things are done was not only a good move but a must. Of course the media restrictions are going to make the most headlines of course but do we really need to hear from a freshman? I love Coach Batson but is lacking access to him the end of the world? I personally believe that we have solid members of the media on the Clemson beat who will be able to produce worthwhile content.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I know, I know we are all eager to here from some of the members of what many experts claim could be one of the best signing classes ever to set foot on the Clemson campus. I am of the opinion that recruiting classes should be evaluated 4 years later not five months before they even step on campus.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>This is where I can provide authoritative insight into what is going on into what is happening not only in Clemson but in Columbia, Auburn, Athens, Tallahassee, and so on. You have 17-18 year old <b>KIDS </b>many of who just 6 weeks ago left home for the first time, have entered an academic world that is much less forgiving and more rigorous than they previously had, they have been subjected to conditioning unlike anything they have ever dreamed up, now they are processing schemes, steps and competing against other teammates who may have 4 years of experience on them. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>They have more than enough to keep their attention and worry about that we can wait to here from them later.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Maybe because I am relatively young, I can still remember my freshmen year like it was yesterday and the learning curve was <b>STEEP </b>to say the least. I know we live in the an age where kids are anointed the second coming before they are out of diapers but at the end of the day football is a results oriented game. Lets give Steward, Anthony, Peake, Bellamy, Watkins and the rest of the gang a chance to go through camp, see if they can earn time and we will hopefully be hearing from the a lot throughout this year. Lets say the light does not come on immediately for these guys, it does not mean that their career is over. I hope for the sake of the team and of the player that the coaching staff does not put a player on the field who is not ready to perform at a high level.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Lets chill. Lets enjoy the good content that is widely available about our team and let the results on the field speak for themselves.</div>CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203074563301242935.post-45223611023683039152009-11-03T07:10:00.003-05:002009-11-03T07:16:42.636-05:00The Game We Love<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8hWh7uzwMlA/SvAfH81V4nI/AAAAAAAAAFk/f96O0t0EhHk/s1600-h/IMG_0122.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8hWh7uzwMlA/SvAfH81V4nI/AAAAAAAAAFk/f96O0t0EhHk/s320/IMG_0122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399850174666629746" border="0" /></a><br /><div id=":2hf" class="ii gt">I was sitting here watching the funeral of slain UCONN Football player Jasper Howard. I realize some may think it is in poor taste or weird but there is nothing like a good ole fashion homegoing celebration. Not a funeral but a celebration of life. It is clear watching speaker after speaker talk about the man they refer to as Jazz was a tremendous young man, who had lots of people who supported him to maximize opportunities to put himself in a position to better himself and his family.<br /><br />I am reminded that the game I love and was fortunate enough to play while merely a game is a ticket out for so many kids. To hear the coaches and mentors talk about the phone calls they get each week from Thad Lewis, Chris Chancellor, half of the Miami football team and so on, I was struck that football the game I love so much, a game I love to pontificate about, travel far awide to be a spectator is a true means to an ends for 1000s of kids not only in south Florida but throughout the nation. Football is used as a tool to teach discipline, instill confidence, to teach accountability and prepare for an opportunity for a way out for a chance at a better life. A scholarship to UCONN for Jasper Howard represented an opportunity that otherwise was not going to be available to him. I feel slightly ashamed as I watch this service knowing I did not have an ounce of the adversity Jasper and many other student athletes faced and almost walked away from an opportunity to earn a college degree. The point is not about what I did . The point for me is that as mad I get sometimes at this play or player or situation, I am reminded in many cases football is a means, a way out, an opportunity for a young man to better himself and his family.<br /><br />I hear people talk about well I am not going to give another nickel to IPTAY, Hurricane Club, the Georgia Tech Athletic Fund, Seminole Club etc because they are not happy with the direction of the program, they are not winning enough, they do not like the coach but when you do that you are not impacting the Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator or Athletic Director. You impacting the opportunities for kids like Jasper Howard, Warrick Dunn, CJ Spiller, Jacory Harris, Clinton Portis, Sean Taylor, Demarius Thomas, Chris Chancellor from a chance for success. I know there are plenty of guys who have not gone on to the NFL and made milliions. It stands even more true for guy who will earn a degree, get a job and serve as as example not only to his family and future generations but to his community. It is truly amazing the impact of one person doing the right thing, taking advantage of opportunities can have on people.<br /><br />One of my favorite players from when I was at Clemson was Chad Jasmin. Chad is from Vacherie, LA outside of New Orleans. Chad was about as Louisiana as you could get. I could hardly understand Chad when came to the equipment room and needed something. The thing about Chad is was he was from a small rural high school where he did not have access to the many of us enjoyed at our respective high schools. Chad was a Prop 48 kid. You have to sit out your first year and you essential have 3 years to play unless you finish in four years and the NCAA will grant a 4th year of eligibility. I remember standing outside after practice it seemed like Chad was on the discipline list everyday for class stuff and I remember Coach Burns who was the Running Backs coach standing out there, telling him he was not going to give up on him and that he was going to go to class and graduate because Coach Burns had told his mother that he was going to take care of him. Long story short Chad finished and four years and as a senior scored 4 TDs against South Carolina in a game Clemson won 63-17. It goes beyond the 63-17 win. Today Chad is has a job, is working and being productive. There are countless other stories out there of kids who used the game of football, basketball, track, etc. as a means to get an opportunity to get away from turmoil and uncertainty.<br /><br />I will continue to love talking football, I will continue to wear my passion for my team on my sleeve, I will continue to be on the verge of breakdowns as games get tight but I will pause and realize that many of these kids who don the jerseys of our respective schools, they are playing for an opportunity, whether that is in the NFL or working towards a degree and going onto a career in the public or private sector. When you get mad and say I am not going to give another red cent to my school, remember that you are not impacting a coaching staff or athletic director you are impacting the ability of kids like Jasper Howard who need a chance , kids who depend on people like us to merely sacrifice a little to give them a chance. A chance of being where many of us are and beyond.<br /><br />You are giving the gift of scholarships, you are gift of learning centers, you are giving the gift of opportunity. I will close with this, I know many of you are already involved or have been involved with giving back to your community not merely with your dollars but taking time to invest in a young person who does not have the advantages many of us enjoy. Some of the people reading the email have come from less than ideal situations but because people along the way invested in their time and wisdom they have achieved things that would otherwise not been available to them. It is my hope that we will take the opportunity from time to time to invest in others and your community not for recognition but because none of us are where we are today without a helping hand or a word of encouragement a long the way. It is not all about football itself because these kids had to come to realize they had to meet at least some minimums to have access to a collegiate scholarship. I hope we can take the time to invest in others because that is the way we are going to lift people up not Uncle Sam. I hope we will that we will take time to give back, reflect on our blessings and find ways where we can invest in the growth and development of others.<br /></div><img class="mL" src="http://mail.google.com/mail/images/cleardot.gif" alt="" />CUTRITIGERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168494322409253345noreply@blogger.com0